Lingerie
by sonomom
Summary: This is a little story about sexy underwear, dancing firefighters and a stalker, and learning to leave the past in the past and move forward toward a better future.  Eventual Steph/Ranger pairing. Romance/Humor/Angst
1. Chapter 1

**A/N All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

**This story would not have been possible without help from friends. I owe great thanks to **_**jago-ji,**__**latetolove**_**, and**_** SuperSekritID **_**. They gave generously of their time and talent to fix my glaring mistakes. Thanks also to **_**suedesigns101**_** for listening to me whine for the last four months. Fan Fiction is a great community of generous people and I feel lucky to be part of it. **

_I knew as soon as my hand touched the doorknob. Ranger had been here. Slowly I opened the door and waited but there was no sound. The day hadn't been that good to start with and now I had to deal with a visit from Ranger. I walked into my apartment knowing he was gone just as surely as he'd been there. My eyes were drawn to the dining room table. A small bouquet of white stargazer lilies in a beautiful crystal vase fragranced the room. There was no card. _

_Today was the 5__th __and I knew Ranger was the only person who would understand the importance of this day. I stood and stared at the flowers for a few moments. Resisting the urge to pick up the vase and hurl it against the wall, I turned and walked toward the bedroom, tears falling before I'd taken a step._

Chapter 1

I took in a deep breath and blew out as much air as I could. I quickly grasped the waistband of my jeans and mentally prepared myself for the struggle of closure. To my amazement the jeans zipped and buttoned easily. I smiled with true pleasure. These were my favorite jeans and I'd been dreading this moment since I finished my third piece of cheesecake in a row, late last night. My Hungarian metabolism was obviously still working. There would come a day when I'd have to invert my personal food pyramid. A girl could only live so long with donuts, cake, meatball subs and beer as her four food groups, but fortunately I didn't have to worry about it yet.

My name is Stephanie Plum and I'm a bounty hunter. I fell into this job by accident, but lately I've been thinking, like my jeans, this job fits me pretty well. If I hadn't lost my job as a lingerie buyer and blackmailed my cousin Vinnie into giving me this job I might have never reconnected with my first love, Joe Morelli. Certainly I'd never have met my mentor and the true love of my life Ricardo Carlos Mañoso, aka Henry Higgins, aka Ranger. Presently, though, I was manless and I had lots of time to spend advancing my career.

A stretchy red t-shirt and red high top Chuck Taylors finished my outfit du jour. I looked in the mirror and was pleased with my appearance. I looked nice and non-threatening. I appeared to be just a normal woman from the Burg who was on her way to Giovichinni's deli to make her weekly purchases. That was, in fact, on my list of things to do for the day. I was going to convince Maria Fiorelli, the cashier, to come with me to get rebonded, and then I'd shop.

I was ready to face the New Jersey morning and for once I was ready early. I wanted to get to Maria before the store became crowded with shoppers, but Giovichinni's wouldn't open for another half hour. There were things that still needed to be taken care of in the dining room and I decided not to procrastinate any longer.

The flowers were ten days old and mostly dead. As unwelcome as they'd been I was hesitant to throw them away, but the shriveled petals were past their prime and there was no sense trying to save them. I carried the vase into the kitchen and up-ended it letting the stems fall into the trash. The vase was Waterford and my Burg upbringing made it impossible for me to follow my impulse and pitch it in the trash after the flowers. I washed it and gave it a new home next to the jelly jar drinking glass collection in my cupboard.

I tied the trash bag closed and pulled on my coat. I made a quick stop by the dumpster to make my deposit on top of a mountain of similarly wrapped garbage. I felt my eyes start to fill at the thought of Ranger's remembrance and I knew I had to get control. Making a strong effort, I crossed the parking lot and plopped into the driver's seat of my latest gas guzzling ride, praying the heater would work. It was a cold grey winter morning and I was determined to keep my mood from matching the day. I was off to capture my FTA.

It was mid-month and my bank account was in great shape. I had next month's rent socked away and if today went like I planned I was going shopping. It was time to replace my black _Coach_ tote with this year's slightly larger model. I carried all my important bounty hunting gear with me and I needed all the pocketbook space I could afford. I needed room for my cuffs, my mace spray, my mag light, my hairspray and occasionally my gun and bullets.

A short two hours later I was dropping Maria back off at Giovichinni's. Maria's crime was simple assault. She'd missed her court date because she wasn't convinced dumping a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil on the head of her ex-fiancée's new fiancée qualified as assault. She'd come willingly with me and Connie met us at the cop shop to get her rebonded quickly. I followed her back into the store and made a few purchases and then went home for a solitary lunch.

As I approached my door I saw a large padded envelope leaning against the doorjamb. I picked it up to see my name written in now familiar bold block letters across the front. There was no return address or postage of any kind so obviously, once again, I was the recipient of a hand delivered gift. I picked it up and held it to my ear. No ticking. I shook it. Nothing moved inside. This was the third anonymous gift I'd received. I had to face it. There was a new stalker in my life.

I unlocked my door and walked to the dining room where I dropped my pocketbook on the table scattering the growing pile of unopened mail. I hung my coat on the back of a chair and went into the kitchen. I stuffed the perishables into the refrigerator and pulled a steak knife from the drawer to slice the edge of the envelope open. The right tool for the right job as my dad always said.

I tipped the envelope and caught the contents as they slipped out. I walked back into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. My previous life as a lingerie buyer for E. E. Martin had not prepared me for what I was holding in my hand. While being a lingerie buyer sounded like a fun, glamorous job it was, in fact, none of the above. Most of my days had been spent haggling over the wholesale price of nylon granny panties in multiple sizes and shades of white. In spite of the job, I was something of an expert when it came to recognizing quality lingerie and the lace-edged ebony-colored froth spilling over my hand and puddling in my lap was quality lingerie.

I looked at the tags and discovered the _Nina Ricci_ chemise was part of the _Esquisse_ collection, and it was my size. The fabric was silky and sheer and wonderful to the touch. I held the chemise up and looked through the filmy silk. This garment was meant for one purpose, seduction. The quality of the workmanship matched the previous gifts I'd received and I knew it would retail for every bit of four hundred dollars.

I went into my bedroom and pulled two other padded envelopes from my dresser drawer. I poured the contents out onto my bed and looked at my growing collection. The first to arrive had been a soft gray thong that was all lace, satin and silk. The brand was unfamiliar to me, but I recognized quality workmanship. A little searching on the Internet had told me it was handmade in Belgium and retailed at almost three hundred dollars. I wondered who'd be sending something of that value to me.

Ranger was the only person I knew who could afford it and there was no question, Ranger was uninvolved with this gift. Ranger would never leave an envelope with my name on it leaning against the door. He'd bring it into my apartment as he'd done with the flowers…and as of seven months ago Ranger would never give me a personal gift, but who else could afford such an exquisite surprise? When no answer was forthcoming I felt a little skittering of unease crawl up my spine.

The second offering came a week later in another padded envelope leaning against my door. This time it was a matching demi-bra and panty set. A second Internet search had shown it to be part of the _Eres Caviar Collection _and at least a five hundred dollar purchase. The brown silk bra and panties had been so beautiful I couldn't resist. I'd tried them on. They fit like a second skin, the bra enhancing my small cleavage and the panties with their high cut making my legs look long and slim. The creepiness factor of what I was doing hit me with such force that I quickly peeled the lingerie off and placed it back in the envelope.

Today's arrival had upped my awareness that I had a problem. I was probably going to have to say something to someone, but the question was, to whom? For most of my recent past, my life had revolved around two men. After the big blow up three quarters of a year ago there was no one I could turn to.

I'd lost my appetite so I headed to the bonds office with the body receipt for Maria. When I walked in the door Lula was sitting at Connie's desk with an extra large bucket of chicken. My appetite returned and fortunately for me she was in the mood to share.

Connie came in from the back room and said, "I've been waiting for you. We just got a new skip in and Vinnie is hot to get this guy. He thinks he's a high flight risk." She held out a folder to me and I took it, handing her the body receipt for Maria Fiorelli.

As Connie set about cutting a check for me I looked at the folder.

A sense of dread ran up my spine. "I can't get this guy," I said. "Give him to RangeMan." Connie looked surprised, but said nothing.

I heard my own voice filling the silence. "I just don't want to deal with Morelli and there is no way I can bring in his cousin without running into Joe." The file was on Mooch Morelli, and I wasn't sure why Vinnie wanted me to go after him so quickly. Mooch was no flight threat. I could count on one hand the times he'd been outside the Burg in his entire life.

"Why does Vinnie think he's gonna run?" I asked.

"Word on the street is Joe's pissed big time and wants the book thrown at Mooch. He won't be hanging around trying to smooth things out for his cousin."

This was interesting to me because Joe and Mooch had always been close. I took the file back from Connie and sat down to read. My mouth fell open in a silent 'oh' as I realized Mooch had been arrested for the minor crime of public drunkenness. That was a fairly common occurrence for Mooch. The difference was this time he'd been caught in a compromising position with Terry Gilman, Joe's former and current lover. This was interesting. If he'd had sex with Terry the Trenton Court system was the least of his problems. One thing I knew from personal experience was Joe didn't like anyone poaching on his territory. Either way, it was a mess and I didn't want to be involved.

"I can't do this," I said to Connie. "Give it to RangeMan."

"RangeMan doesn't take bonds that low," she said. "You're really the only option here."

I sighed and grabbed the folder back from Connie. I shoved it into my pocketbook and waited for her to hand me the check for Maria. Some days life was hard. I had a stalker who, so far, seemed harmless, but I knew that could change. I had the ongoing problem of man-drought and now I was going to have to jump into the middle of a Morelli family foray.

"Alright," I grumbled, "but I'm going shopping first."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 2

Lula threw her chicken debris in the trash. "If you're going shopping, I'm coming too. I got me a real hot date and I need a new outfit."

"Okay," I said. "You and Tank celebrating something special?"

"Tank and me," Lula said, drawing herself up to her full 5'4'', "are no longer keeping company. I got a new man on the line."

"What?" I exclaimed. "I thought you guys were the real thing. What happened? When did it happen?"

"What happened is Tank don't communicate."

I rolled my eyes, "That's standard operating procedure for RangeMan. I think it's part of their training protocol. Avoid intimacy at any cost." I was surprised at the bitterness in my voice, but at the same time I knew why it was there.

"He won't tell me nothing about what's going on with him," Lula continued. "There has to be communication for a real relationship. I warned him and when it didn't change I dumped him!" It was said with vehemence, but when I looked at Lula there were tears in her eyes. When she saw I'd seen her emotion she wiped her face clean with the back of her hand and said, "Let's go shopping. I'm not riding in the junk heap you drive. We'll take the Firebird." That was my message the subject was closed.

I thought a quiet evening and a six-pack might elicit more details. I wasn't trying to be nosy. I wanted to be a friend and listen if she needed to talk. I knew I could use someone to talk to as well, and Lula had good instincts for her own self-preservation as well as that of her friends. More and more, though, I was thinking my next talk should be with a lawyer.

We swung through the bank and I cashed the check Connie had given me. For once, my credit card was going to stay in my wallet. This was a cash outing. I turned to Lula, "What are you looking for?"

"I wanna impress my date. I think I should get me some new lingerie. You never know how the night's gonna end up."

"Wow," I said, "You _are_ really serious about having a hot date. Is this someone you've been seeing for a while?"

"Nah. He just called me up yesterday. Tank and I had words and when I got the opportunity to see another man I took it. I ain't gonna sit at home and waste my life away pining for Tank." She shot me a look that implied she thought that's what I was doing.

"Whatever happened with you and Officer Hottie?" she asked. "Is that why you don't want to go after Mooch?"

"What happened is…it's complicated and now's not the time. Lula we need some quality girl time. I'd like to tell you about it, but it's a long story. When you have a free evening we'll get together and I'll spill it all," I lied. I wouldn't be spilling it all to anyone, but maybe I could tell her enough to make my current situation seem plausible.

We entered the mall and headed for Macy's. I found a new pocketbook that would hold all my bounty hunting paraphernalia and I paid for it in cash. Lula was on a quest for a new peignoir set so I followed her to the lingerie department. The sales clerk was helpful and seemed knowledgeable. On impulse, I turned to her.

"Do you carry _Carine Gilson _lingerie?" I asked, mentioning the brand of the first thong I'd received? I wondered if she'd even be familiar with the label.

"Oh no, ma'am." I turned to see whom she was calling ma'am. Apparently, it was me. "We don't carry anything that expensive. You might be able to order it on the Internet but I don't think you can buy it in Trenton." Good to know, I thought. Maybe my stalker wasn't local, although the lack of postage on the envelopes didn't make it very likely.

Lula found an orange peignoir set and snatched it up without even questioning the price.

"Is this your first date with this new guy?" I asked.

"Sorta," Lula hesitated and then said, "It's Bunchy…you remember, he's that bookie we met a while back."

"Bunchy?" I was surprised. I remembered Bunchy and I remembered him being very interested in Lula. I also remembered he wasn't a bookie. He was FBI. I was pretty sure Lula was unaware of that fact. She had an aversion to all kinds of law enforcement going back to her time as a 'ho. I knew she'd been interested in Bunchy when she thought he was a bookie. If she didn't know Bunchy's occupation I wasn't going to tell her.

"Yeah, Bunchy ain't his real name, though. His real name is Bert Bronfman, and he's taking me out to dinner. If things go well I'll invite him in, and I might entertain him by slippin' into something more comfortable like this here new negligee."

"Wow, that would be moving pretty fast," I said. "Are you sure you're ready to jump from Tank to Bunchy?"

Lula sighed, "No, I'm not sure. Truth is Bunchy is a nice guy, but he don't attract me the way Tank does. But Tank can't have everything his way. He's got to open up if he wants to be in a relationship with me. I'm thinking Bunchy takin' me out might cause Tank to open up a little."

"Don't play with fire, Lula," I warned. "If you have strong feelings for Tank you should let him know. Tell him what you need from him." The second the words were out of my mouth I realized the ridiculousness of giving relationship advice to Lula. It had been so long since I'd been in a relationship I could barely remember it. It was hard to believe I'd gone so long without a man in my life.

Lula and I made it back to the bonds office late in the afternoon and I spent some time studying the file on Mooch Morelli. If I had to bring this guy in, I was going to act fast and try my hardest to avoid Joe. I hadn't bumped into him in over nine months. It had taken careful planning on both our parts to avoid one another so completely. There was some small measure of satisfaction in knowing he wanted to keep his distance from me as much as I wanted to stay away from him.

Mooch lived outside the Burg in an area not too far from St. Francis. I knew I probably wouldn't be lucky enough to find him at his own residence. I had the feeling he wasn't hiding from me, but rather from his cousin. I'd known Mooch almost as long as I'd known Joe. If he wasn't with Joe or his brother Tony then he was likely hiding out with a friend. All I had to do was figure out which one and things would be easy…or not.

On impulse I pulled the file and found Mooch's cell number. I called and was taken aback when he answered. His voice sounded so much like Joe's I was momentarily speechless.

"Mooch?" I questioned.

"Yeah, who wants to know?"

"It's Stephanie Plum. You missed your court date. You need to rebond."

"Shit, Stephanie, I can't do that. Joe's a little ticked at me right now. I gotta wait for him to cool off."

"I understand Joe is very upset," I said. "You were arrested for boinking his woman in a public place and you were very drunk."

"That's not what happened," Mooch said. His whiny voice was sounding less and less like Joe's. "I can explain everything, but Joe isn't in the mood to listen. I gotta let him calm down before I talk to him. He's really pissed. I got one of my other cousins trying to run interference for me. Aunt Angie wants us to get this thing settled."

Mooch wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Too much alcohol for too many years. It was a Morelli curse Joe had avoided. Mooch probably didn't even realize he'd tipped me off to his location. If he had a cousin helping him hide from Morelli it had to be Leo and Leo Morelli lived only a few blocks from my apartment. I stuffed the file into my new pocketbook and headed home. I had a stakeout to prepare for.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 3

My butt was sinking ever deeper into the sprung seat of my Cadillac. The car had been new about the time I'd started first grade and the driver's seat had an indentation so big I had to sit on a pillow to see over the wheel. It had been a bargain for eight hundred dollars. The beige color blended into the background and made this the perfect stakeout car.

Despite the pillow, my ass was growing numb. I wiggled to increase the circulation. The temperature outside wasn't helping the numbness. I was also having trouble feeling my toes. I was parked three quarters of a block away from Leo Morelli's front door, waiting for some sign of Mooch. I was sure of two things. Mooch was staying with Leo and Mooch wouldn't stay in the whole night. If he was there he'd at the very least have to sneak out to the liquor store and I was going to use that opportunity to grab him.

I started the car and watched the gas gauge immediately drop. I figured I could run the heater for ten minutes to regain feeling in my toes without emptying the tank. My luminescent watch dial showed it was eleven, not exactly the witching hour, but my spidey sense was zinging. Something was going to happen soon. Without taking my eyes off Leo's door I reached down and pulled my pocketbook from the floor and delved in to find a Butterscotch Krimpet. A girl has to keep her energy up. I was busily unwrapping the cellophane covered treat when the passenger door swung open and Joe Morelli slid into the seat.

"Long time no see, Cupcake."

I was momentarily speechless, taking in his appearance. The pale illumination of a streetlight showed a way beyond five o'clock shadow and longish hair curling over his collar. He was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and down vest. He looked good. I'd forgotten the physical impact he exuded. Male, solid and sexy. His eyes casually roamed over me taking in my messy ponytail and dropping lower. My nipples hardened as his eyes lingered. I was momentarily nostalgic for what had been. Joe and I hadn't been all that good together in the forever after kind of way, but there'd been some good times. Mentally shaking my head I snapped my thoughts back to the present. I needed to put the events of my recent past behind me and move on. Maybe seeing Joe was the first step.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Are you following me?"

"I'm doing the same thing you are, Steph. Looking for Mooch. When I saw you sitting here I thought I'd join you and maybe we could talk. It's been awhile."

"Nice try, Morelli. You just saw an opportunity to use my gas to stay warm. Where's your vehicle?"

"Half a block down from yours." He smiled at me and suddenly I found myself smiling back.

"I'm being truthful, Steph. I thought maybe we should talk about the last time we saw each other. It might be time to put that behind us."

I glanced across the street toward Uncle Leo's house. Was it time to reestablish a connection with Joe? It was probably way past time, but I avoid conflict like Lula avoids filing. I blew out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"It is time, Joe," I agreed. "I don't like the feeling that we're trying to stay clear of each other. Our lives overlap too easily and I'm tired of trying to avoid you. I don't want to worry about running into you and how awkward it'll be."

We were both silent for awhile remembering our last meeting. I never would have guessed our last fight would be our _last_ fight. It seemed so much like the ones that preceded it. I never could have imagined just hours after the big blow up I'd find myself in bed with Ranger or that Joe would walk in on us. But that is exactly what'd happened. When Joe's eyes met mine across my bedroom there was no recrimination, just a surety we were done.

"You were right," Morelli said, bringing my thoughts back to the present. "You accused me of being involved with Terry and I was." He had my full attention, the thought of capturing Mooch temporarily banished from my mind.

"I wasn't physically involved," he continued. "I suspect my relationship with Terry was a lot like your relationship with Ranger. I've had feelings for her since high school. Intellectually I knew it wouldn't work. Her family is mob and I'm a cop. But I just couldn't shake the feelings I had for her…the whole forbidden fruit thing."

I nodded my head yes, "I know you've always had feelings for her. I was jealous and, apparently, I had cause."

"Not unlike you and Mañoso."

I tilted my head in thought before I slowly conceded. "You may have a point. You were certainly jealous of Ranger, but Joe, I never crossed the line. The only time I have ever been with Ranger was when you and I were definitely off."

"Right before Abruzzi?" he asked.

"Yeah." I sighed. "And then he told me to repair my relationship with you. He didn't want a relationship with me and that hurt a little. It was unsettling to know he just wanted the sex. I guess I'm not wired that way."

Joe stared out across the dimly lit night. I tried to follow his line of vision. Did he see something? Or was he being introspective? Part of the problem between Joe and I had always been our tendency to speak first and think later. A quietly reasonable Joe without temper was unfamiliar to me. He sighed and turned back to look at me.

"I wasn't fair to you. I wanted you to be my wife, but I wanted you to be a 'Burg' wife. I should have known from the beginning I couldn't mold you to fit my wants. I'm being honest now. I love you. I've loved you for a long time but I could never get over my feelings for Terry. When things fell apart between you and me the fault was mine. After I saw you in bed with Mañoso, I understood. What you felt for him was what I felt for Terry."

The temperature in the car seemed stifling. I turned off the ignition and turned to face Morelli. "Why are you telling me all this, Joe?"

"Because I want you to understand that I understand. Ranger isn't the man for you, Steph…just like Terry isn't the woman for me. Even so, here I am, trying to pound my cousin's head in when he was just another in her long line of victims. I still can't shake what I feel for her. I'm really screwed up and it's not a good way to be. I thought maybe if we talked you'd listen. I know it's over between us, but I know you and I know Mañoso. I don't want him to hurt you like Terry has hurt me."

"You're about seven months too late. The last time Ranger was in my bed was the night you walked in. He went 'into the wind' the next day. When he came home two months later he only stayed a week before moving to Boston. I haven't seen him since." I looked away, refusing to let Joe see my watery eyes. The conversation came to a quick end when we both saw someone walking up the sidewalk toward Leo's front door.

It was hard to see the person clearly under the dim streetlight. When the porch light turned on, a glow of white blonde hair was clearly visible and realization came to Joe and me at the same time. Terry Gilman. The door opened and she stepped inside. The dome light in the Cadillac came on as Joe opened the door and started to get out. His cop face was on, his expression grim.

"Joe," I said. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, I'm really not into threesomes, but tonight may be an exception." He exited the car and started walking slowly but purposefully down the street. I grabbed my cell and paged through my call log for Mooch's number.

The phone starting ringing and I started mumbling, "Pick up, pick up, pick up."

"Yeah. Whaddawant?" I blew out a breath as Mooch's voice echoed in my ear.

"It's Stephanie. Joe's on his way to your front door right now. He saw Terry and he's not happy."

"Shit. Shit!" His normal whinny tone was replaced by a fearful one. I started the car and backed up to the end of the block.

"I'm coming around down the alley," I said. "If you head out the back I'll get you out of there." We disconnected simultaneously. As I pulled down the alley I saw Mooch run across the back yard and through the gate. He pulled open the passenger door and flopped into the seat that was probably still warm from his cousin's ass. He was coatless and shoeless.

"I may have just saved your rotten life." I said to him. "Joe's pissed, and he won't be happy I helped you."

"It's not what it looks like," he said. "She's throwing herself at me. She wants me to come to work for her Uncle Vito."

"Mooch, you're in big trouble. I'm taking you in. You can get rebonded if you want, but the safest place for you may be in jail. At least for a while. Joe is really pissed." This was all true and when Joe realized I'd snatched Mooch right out from under him he'd be pissed at me too. Oh well, I was used to it.

Mooch was silent, pondering his options. Mooch and Joe resembled each other physically, but the man sitting next to me was weak. I once again was struck with an awareness of Joe Morelli. Joe was strong, physically and emotionally, and he'd made a good career for himself. He was respected in the Burg. He had avoided the familial pitfalls of alcohol, physical abuse and womanizing. Well, mostly. I cared for him and he cared for me. I wanted to be in love with him. I was in love with Ranger.

"Alright," Mooch mumbled. "I'll let you take me in." I did a mental fist pump and headed for police headquarters.

I left Mooch at the police station, where he was going to wait at least until morning to get rebonded. I thought he'd made a wise decision. My hope was Morelli would be occupied with Terry long enough to let his temper cool from a boil to a simmer before he realized I'd scooped up Mooch right under his nose.

A wave of fatigue slammed into me as I walked up the stairs to my apartment. It had been a long, but profitable, day and all I wanted now was to get horizontal. I closed my door, turned the deadbolt and slid the security chain in quick succession. As my foot shoved the floor bolt into the locked position, a flash of memory skittered through my mind of another night when I'd locked myself in and fallen exhausted into bed. Determined not to dwell on events of that night I walked into my bedroom and began undressing quickly.

I dropped my clothes on the chair in the corner of the room. Ranger hadn't been here for a midnight visit in months, but I couldn't look at the chair without thinking of him. In the top drawer of my dresser, next to the lingerie gifts from my secret admirer, I found what I was looking for. The RangeMan t-shirt slipped easily over my head, the soft cotton caressing me. I made an executive decision to forego teeth brushing and makeup removal and fell into bed.

I pulled the covers up under my chin and willed sleep to overtake me. As tired as I was, my brain was spinning and leading me to thoughts I didn't want to deal with. Seeing Joe earlier in the evening had brought to the forefront memories I'd worked hard to bury.

_The fight with Joe hadn't been all that different from many we'd had before, but by the time I'd reached my apartment I'd decided that Joe and I were over. I dreaded the task of convincing Joe I really meant it this time when I said we were through. I knew he'd try to talk me into giving us another try but I didn't think that would happen. I was jealous of Terry Gilman and he was jealous of Ranger. The difference was I knew there was something going on with Joe and Terry. I only wished something was going on with me and Ranger._

_I'd awoken suddenly and sensed I was not alone in the apartment. The bedside clock told me I'd slept only an hour. In spite of my turning all the locks and sliding all the bolts, Ranger could still get in. He came to see me infrequently in the middle of the night, sitting in the chair and watching me sleep. Sometimes I woke in the morning with the sense he'd been there. Sometimes I woke to see him quietly watching me. Other than brief eye contact he didn't acknowledge my awareness of his presence. Being there seemed to somehow center him._

_I'd come to realize Ranger's late night visits meant he'd been called to go into the wind. I was usually the last place he stopped before he left. I was still upset from my fight with Joe, but I was thrilled to see Ranger, even if it did mean he was going away. I sat up in bed and stared at him for a moment in the dim light from the street lamp filtering through the window. I broke protocol by speaking._

"_When are you leaving?"_

"_In a couple of hours, Babe."_

"_For how long?"_

"_I don't know…maybe months." _

_I held out my hand and he got up from the chair and walked to the side of the bed. He took my outstretched hand and let me pull him down. Once or twice before he'd laid down next to me and held me for a few moments before he left. I knew that's what he thought I wanted. He was wrong. I wanted much more. As he sat on the edge of the bed I reached up and pulled his head down to mine. His lips grazed mine and then became demanding, testing me to see if I'd pull away. My hands pulled him even closer to me and I took over the kiss, invading his mouth, taking pleasure from him. Soft moans were coming from Ranger. It wasn't a sound I was used to hearing from him. Pleasure mixed with something else, maybe need._

_Ranger pulled back, giving me a chance to reconsider. "This will complicate things with the cop."_

"_There is nothing to complicate," I said. "Joe and I are done…and before you say anything else, I'm sure. I'm not going back this time even if you try to send me." That was a direct shot at his actions to the last and only time we'd been lovers. We were going to be lovers again and I wasn't going to give myself time to be reasonable or think of all the reasons it wasn't a good idea. I pulled his head back down to mine and the next time he pulled away it was to peel his clothes off and join me under the covers._

_We made love, more than once. Afterward we laid in spent contentment in each other's arms. My eyes drank in the features of Ranger's face, knowing he was leaving soon. We were sharing the same bittersweet feelings, occasionally glancing at the bedside clock aware our time together was short._

_For once Ranger wasn't totally aware of his surroundings as his focus was on me. I saw the realization in his eyes at the same time I became aware. We were not alone in my apartment. I looked toward my door and saw the silhouette of a man in the doorway. It was Joe and he was unmoving. Ranger's arm tightened around me, waiting to see what would happen next. _

_There was no yelling or fist waving. Just a few softly spoken words. "That didn't take long," and then he turned and walked away. After a few moments I heard the door close quietly behind him. I was in no doubt that Joe shared my earlier thought. We were over._

_The next morning I awoke to find myself alone. Ranger was gone. Joe's key to my apartment was on my dining room table. _

_Ranger had come home two months later and then moved his base of operations to Boston. My life had changed irrevocably._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 4

Applying mascara is like wallpapering. As long as the last coat is on good there is no sense in taking it off before adding another. At some point I'd have to strip everything down to ground zero, but today I was okay to add another layer to what remained from the night before. I attempted to run a brush through my curls and gave up. I scooped the whole mess off my face and fixed it with an elastic band. Bounty hunting was tiring work. I'd been up late and didn't sleep well. Seeing Joe had affected me more than I wanted to admit.

It wasn't that I wanted to rekindle anything with Morelli. It was more like seeing him made me realize I'd been coasting for the last few months. I remembered Lula's comment about not pining away for Tank and I made a sudden decision to jump back into life with both feet. I finished dressing and left the apartment in a hurry.

I made a quick stop by the Tasty Pastry. It was my turn to bring breakfast to the office. By the time I arrived both Connie and Lula were already hard at work. I handed the body receipt for Mooch to Connie. Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Wow, you must've had a busy night."

"Yeah," I said, "I was out late, but it was worth it. I took Mooch in without incident. You might get a call today to rebond him, but he's trying to avoid Joe and for right now thinks he might be the safest in jail."

"I hear Morelli is pretty upset with his cousin. Maybe Mooch has the right idea. If Morelli was peeved at me I'd choose to stay incarcerated." Connie said.

"I talked to Joe last night and he is upset," I said. "I talked to Mooch, too, and I think there's more to the Terry Gilman story than meets the eye. I'm not sure I want the whole story though."

Lula's head popped around a corner of files. "You talked to Officer Hottie last night?" Her eyes were wide and she stood still, waiting for details. "How'd that go? Girl, you'd best be givin' us the 411."

"It went fine. He's trying to get to the bottom of what's going on between Mooch and Terry. He's not happy that his cousin was stupid enough to get involved with her. I'm not sure what their present relationship is, but it makes Joe crazy when he sees her with Mooch."

I opened the sack of donuts and took out a Boston Crème before I passed the bag to Lula. "What are you doing here so early?" I asked. "I thought you had a big date last night. Did you wear the new nightgown?"

"Nah," Lula said popping a donut hole in her mouth. "Bunchy is kinda fun to hang out with, but I decided to take things slow. I don't want to get into a situation before I'm ready." Smart thinking, I thought. Maybe I should've thought more along those lines a few months ago.

Connie handed me a check for Mooch and I put it in my purse. "Do you have anything pending?" I asked Connie.

"No, nothing else has come in. Looks like you might have some time off**."**

"Great," I said. "I've got some personal stuff to do so you may not see me for a couple of days. Call if anything urgent comes in." I swung my ass out the door and hopped into my Cadillac, adjusting the pillow so I could see over the steering wheel. I'd take my check to the bank and then go home to take care of business I'd been putting off way too long.

I picked up the mail on my way into my apartment and threw it on the dining room table. An envelope slid to the floor and my attention was caught by the handwriting. The bold block letters were the same as I'd seen on my gifts of lingerie and there was no postage. I slit open the envelope to find a single white sheet. There was a full color image of a model wearing a black bustier and garter belt with stockings. A picture of my head had been amateurishly photo-shopped onto the model.

It was hard to tell when the photo had been taken. The quality was poor making my face look grainy. It must have been taken from a distance and magnified. This was starting to feel more than creepy. I quickly rummaged through the accumulated mail and found three more envelopes with the same handwriting. Opening them I found similar images of the other gifts of lingerie I'd received all with my head photo-shopped over the head of the model. I suspected I'd be getting another delivery. This time it would be the bustier and garter belt pictured. I was going to have to give this some serious attention. Although nothing had happened to me, I didn't think this was just a friendly gesture on someone's part. I had over a thousand dollars worth of lingerie in my dresser drawer and it looked like there was more to come.

Pushing the opened letters aside I looked at the rest of the unopened mail. My bank statement stared back up at me. The bank statement was the reason I'd been avoiding my mail so I might as well deal with it now and get it over with. I ripped the envelope open and looked at the balance. Another five thousand dollar deposit had been made on the first of the month bringing my account to over thirty-five thousand dollars. I knew the money was from Ranger. I'd made a vow not to touch it, but now I was thinking I might spend some of it. I needed to see an attorney and thanks to Ranger I could afford a good one.

I made the call and I was informed I could be seen at any time. They would make sure someone was available to me. I hadn't seen or talked to Ranger in over seven months, but I was thinking my actions today might change that. It was something I had to do and I might as well spit in the devil's face by using the RangeMan attorney.

I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I thought this might be the time to get out the makeup remover and start all over with the mascara. I wanted to look cool, calm and professional, and less raccoon-like. I meant to be taken seriously and I was going to prepare for the part.

An hour later I left my apartment wearing a blue suit with a white blouse. My hair was bouncing around my shoulders in as controlled a fashion as I could get it. My legs looked their best in blue and white spectator pumps. As I rounded the corner to the parking lot I looked at my tan Cadillac. So much for the professional image. Well, I could park down the block and walk. It was cold out, but the sun was shining and my mood was starting to lift despite what I was getting ready to do.

When I returned to my apartment a few hours later I was exhausted. It was hard to be among people I didn't know and play the role of a calm, unemotional woman. I was anything but calm. I loved Ranger, but he'd made it clear to me there was no room for me in his life. I'd just taken my first permanent step toward a life without Ricardo Carlos Mañoso, and while I felt proud about my initiative, it was a somber moment.

I walked into my bedroom, kicking my pumps off and shrugging off my suit jacket. I turned to toss it on to my bed and froze at the sight of a grey shopping bag on my bed. In the lower right hand corner the words _La Perla_ gave indication that my next gift had arrived. I lifted the bag and peered inside. I pulled the black lace and silk from the bag and recognized the bustier and garter belt I'd seen in the photograph. My admirer had raised the stakes. This gift was left inside the apartment instead of leaning against the door and that wasn't good. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

I reached into my pocketbook and grabbed my phone. I had to call for help. I had to get out of my apartment. I turned and ran, shoeless and jacketless out of my apartment and down the stairs. I stopped in the lobby and flipped my phone open only to realize there was no one to call. Morelli was no longer in my calling circle and neither was Ranger. I could call Tank. I'd been told by Ranger before he walked out of my life that someone from RangeMan would always be available to me if I needed help. It was cold outside, but hell hadn't frozen over, I thought somewhat wryly. Slowly it dawned on me that I was truly on my own.

I shut my phone and pulled my gun from my purse. There was one bullet in the chamber. I turned and found my way back up the stairs to my apartment. I entered quietly with my gun in hand. I quickly and thoroughly checked the apartment as I'd seen Ranger or one of his men do many times before. When I was sure I was alone I locked the door and took a few deep calming breaths.

Going back to the bedroom I examined the bustier and garter belt. They were exquisite. I folded them and placed them back in the bag. The stalker was escalating his game and I didn't think that was a good sign.

I needed some distance from my apartment and I was tired of my own company. I called my mom.

"Hi, I need a favor," I lied. "The heat is off in my apartment and Dillon won't be able to fix it until tomorrow. Can I spend the night there?"

"Well, of course," my mom said, "and come for supper. I have a nice pork tenderloin. Your grandmother is having a guest for dinner. You could meet him."

Meeting my grandmother's latest paramour ranked right up there with getting a tooth filled without Novocain. It was an indication of how badly I needed company that I agreed at once. I grabbed some clothes for the next day and headed out the door. A few minutes later, I parked the Cadillac at the curb and looked toward my parents' house. Grandma Mazur stood at the door waiting for me.

"You look nice," I said as I crossed the threshold into a warm room with wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen. Grandma's hair shades varied with the whim of her stylist. Today the color as well as the style resembled a Brillo pad. The tightly coiled coif was the color of blue steel, but, oddly, it was attractive on her.

"What do you think of my lipstick?" she asked, twisting her hands nervously. "It's called 'Orgasm'." Her lips were carefully outlined and filled in with a dark rose color. "I got an extra tube so if it lives up to its name you can use it since you don't have a boyfriend."

"Your lipstick is great," I said. "This must be a special guy. You're all dolled up for him."

"He's a pip." Grandma went back to the door and glanced down the street. I knew her Burg sense was telling her the arrival of her beau was imminent. My gaze followed hers out the door and I saw a black Mercedes pull up to the curb and stop behind my Cadillac. My heart skipped a beat as I immediately thought-Ranger! The driver's door opened and a tall, thin man with erect posture and a full head of snowy-white hair emerged. As Grandma's excitement grew my heart rate started the descent to its normal rate. Of course it wasn't Ranger. What was I thinking? He was, however, very attractive and looked to be of Hispanic origin.

He walked up the sidewalk and waited as my grandma opened the screen door for him. He reached out and raised her hand to his lips. "Edna, you look charming." Grandma blushed!

"Stephanie, I'd like you to meet my friend, Osbaldo Santos-Ayres." Grandma turned to Mr. Santos-Ayres and said, "This is my granddaughter Stephanie Plum. You may have heard of her. She's a world famous bounty hunter."

"Stephanie, it's so nice to meet you." He clicked his heels together and bent forward slightly in an old-fashioned gesture. Taking my hand in his he raised it to his lips in the manner he had with Grandma's hand. I blushed. He was charming.

My mother and father entered the room and introductions were made all around. My mother's hand received the same treatment and I could tell she was as impressed as I'd been. Dinner conversation was lively. Osbaldo, as he asked us to call him, was new to the area. Grandma regaled him with tales of my experiences in bounty hunting as well as other Burg urban legends.

"I plan to spend my remaining years in this area," Osbaldo said. "I have family in the area. Right now I'm living with my grandson. It is a temporary situation and I need to find other quarters soon."

"I could help you with that," Grandma said. "I know quite a few people around here. I'll put the word out and see what's available."

"I'd appreciate that, Edna. As I said, I'm living with my grandson and he has just a small one-bedroom apartment. He is a security specialist. He actually lives in the building where he works."

My spidey senses started to hum. "Osbaldo, does your grandson by any chance work for RangeMan?" I asked.

He looked surprised. "Yes, he does."

"Your grandson works for Ranger?" Grandma asked her eyes wide. "Ranger is Stephanie's friend and sometimes he helps her bring in her FTAs." Not lately, I thought but refrained from saying so.

Osbaldo's surprise grew. "What a small world," he said looking at Grandma. "When I met you at St. Michael's senior's group I had no idea we'd be so…connected." He smiled at Grandma and I felt my face stretch into a huge grin. I couldn't help it. Osbaldo was Lester Santos' grandfather. Grandma had finally got herself a Merry Man, albeit a couple of generations removed. I hoped her lipstick lived up to its name and for once I was interested to hear about her new friend's package. I couldn't wait to tell Lula and Connie.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 5

I awoke to the sounds of my grandma and my father arguing. There was only one bathroom in the Plum household and they were both intent on being the first one in. I got out of bed quickly and opened the door to see the two of them at the end of the hallway. My old pink robe flapped in the air behind me as I made a beeline between them mumbling, "Excuse me," and slid into the bathroom, slamming the door in their faces. I did a fist pump and mentally shouted 'Score!' With my business taken care of, I opened the door to find the hallway empty and sprinted back to my room before all heck broke loose again.

I jumped back in bed pulling the covers up under my chin. My room was virtually unchanged since high school and there was comfort in the dated but familiar surroundings. Spread eagled in my thinking position, my mind returned to the problem of my stalker. Maybe I had over-reacted. There had been no threat to me and the lingerie was truly beautiful. I couldn't bring myself to wear it though.

Dealing with the stalker on my own would be a change for me. As much as I like to consider myself strong and sensible, life had a way of screwing up my plans. My catch phrase of "it wasn't my fault" was usually true. When disaster struck it was nice to have someone come in and sweep me away from danger, but that wasn't the only reason I missed Ranger.

I wished he were still in my life, but I knew why he was missing. He was off dealing with feelings of guilt. He wasn't to blame for what had happened, but there was no way to convince him. Some might think he was a coward and had simply run away, but I knew that wasn't so. He was doing his best to be fair to me. I had known he operated by his own code of ethics and he had apparently crossed a line that existed only for him. It was his problem though and I couldn't fix it. He'd always been honest so it wasn't really his fault if I didn't listen.

How many times had I heard the talk? He was an opportunist. He didn't do relationships. He had been my amazing lover on two separate occasions now. The first time I was unsettled for months when I realized it'd just been sex for him. Why did I think the second time would be any different? Because he loved me, that's why! I knew without a doubt I was important to him. Leave it to Ranger to compartmentalize his life so effectively that he could separate a sexual act with me from his feelings for me. He told me once he wasn't entirely sane and I had no choice now but to believe him.

So no matter how much it hurt I knew I'd done the right thing yesterday. Hopefully he would think it was the right thing as well. The burning question was did I take my stalker problem to RangeMan? I knew he'd want me to, and I knew Tank would help me because Ranger would tell him to. Ignoring the problem for the moment, I got dressed and went home to get ready to face the day. Telling Connie and Lula all about Osbaldo was going to be fun.

Mrs. Bestler was on elevator duty early that morning. As I got off to head for my apartment she called after me, "Stephanie, dear, did you get your present yesterday?"

I stopped in my tracks and turned heading back toward the elevator. I jumped through the closing doors and turned to her, "What present?"

"Well, the one that was delivered for you yesterday. She left it in your apartment." In spite of her present occupation I wasn't sure Mrs. Bestler's personal elevator went all the way to the top floor.

"Yes, I got it," I said, "but there was no card with the gift. I don't know who brought it."

Mrs. Bestler pushed the button for the basement. As the door slid open she announced, "Basement, ladies' bargain dresses and lingerie." Goosebumps broke out on my arms as I stepped out and went to knock on the super's door.

Dillon opened the door. "Hi Steph, I was just on my way up to see you."

"Dillon, did you let someone into my apartment yesterday?" I asked.

"Nah," he said. "Not me. I was doing some touch up painting in the hall when the door to your apartment opened and a woman walked out. I asked her who she was and she said she was your cousin. She said she had a birthday gift for you and since you weren't home Mrs. Bestler let her in. I didn't know Mrs. Bestler had a key."

"I gave her one for emergencies," I said, "but obviously she and I have different ideas about what constitutes an emergency. The thing is, it's not my birthday, and I'm willing to bet that woman wasn't my cousin. What did she look like?"

"Well," he thought for a moment. "I think she looked kinda familiar. That's why I thought she was your cousin. About your age and blonde. Slender with huge, uh with a big…chest." Great, I thought. That described half the women in Trenton. "Maybe Mrs. Bestler knows her," he continued.

"I'll ask her," I said. "What would it cost to get a new deadbolt lock installed?"

He smiled at me. "A six-pack."

I shook his hand, "Deal." That way I wouldn't have to upset Mrs. Bestler by asking for my key back. Knowing Mrs. Bestler she'd probably just given my key to my visitor. I pushed the elevator button and waited. When the door slid open I hopped in and requested the second floor.

"Mrs. Bestler, did you know my visitor yesterday?" I asked.

"Yes, dear, it was your cousin. She had a birthday gift for you." The door slid open. "Second floor mezzanine, ladies' casual wear and lingerie." Again the goose bumps appeared. I got off the elevator and went to my apartment door. My gun was in my purse and still loaded. I pulled it out and held it loosely at my side as I entered my apartment and made a quick search. Everything was as I had left it so I locked myself in and headed for the shower.

I stood under the hot spray until I was sufficiently wrinkled. I made short work of my hair and makeup and dressed in my usual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt adding an old flannel shirt of Joe's over the t-shirt in deference to the cold weather.

I took a look at the _La Perla _bag sitting beside my dresser. I pulled out all my lingerie gifts and then I laid the photo-shopped pictures next to them. The same picture of my face had been used in all the photographs. The rest of the images looked like catalog photos. The blonde woman with the 'big chest' who'd delivered the last installment was a surprise. I had assumed my stalker was male. This put a new twist on things. I put all of the lingerie into the _La Perla_ sack and slipped the envelopes containing the pictures in as well. I left for the bonds office and tried to put the whole mess out of my mind.

Lula and Connie were eating breakfast sandwiches. "The ahn da saf fo ooh," Lula said without breaking her chewing rhythm.

I went to Connie's desk and pulled out a paper-wrapped stack of egg, sausage, cheese and grease, closeted between halves of a stale biscuit. I longingly thought of the time when I stayed on seven. Ella brought up fresh fruit, whole grain toast and egg white omelets every morning. Looking at the breakfast sandwich in my hand I considered whether 'the body is a temple' thing might have some credibility after all.

"Hey Steph," Connie said wiggling her eyebrows. "I hope you don't have plans tonight because you'll never guess who's in town—The Hose Brigade! They're at the Whiplash Bar for one night only."

"The Hose Brigade?"

"Yeah," Lula said. "It's a group of firefighters from all over America. They dance for charity. You can make a donation by putting money in their underwear. Connie got us reservations with a table right up front."

"I don't know," I said. "I think I might be busy."

"No way, Stephanie!" Connie got up from behind her desk and walked over to me. She put her hands on my shoulders and said, "The last time there were dancing men in town you were still seeing Morelli and you said it would upset him if you went. Now you're not seeing anyone. This will be the closest thing you've had to a date in months." I couldn't respond. She was right. I rolled my eyes so far back in my head I lost my balance.

"All right!" I capitulated. "But I'm not driving my POS Cadillac down there and I'm not sure if either of you will be in shape to drive home."

"It's okay," Lula said. "I bet I can talk Bunchy into seeing us home. He's smart enough to realize the advantage of taking women home who've spent the night watching dancin' firemen."

"Speak for yourself," Connie said. "And Steph, the table I reserved seats four. You should ask your grandma. You know how she loves this stuff." I rolled my eyes again.

The day was uneventful. I went back to my apartment building in late afternoon. Mrs. Bestler must have had the day off because the elevator was empty. I pushed the B button and made the quick descent to Dillon's apartment. Dillon answered my knock and smiled as he saw the six-pack in my hand. He took it from me and went to his refrigerator, where he removed two bottles and put the rest inside.

"I got your new lock installed," he said, handing me a bottle of beer and a shiny new key. "And as far as I know, no one came to see you today."

"Thanks," I said, taking a big swig from the bottle. We chatted amicably about the goings-on in my building for awhile before I headed upstairs to get myself ready for the big night at the Whiplash Bar. It wasn't easy deciding what to wear. I was going to be in a bar filled with drunken, outrageous Jersey girls. I had to look good, but not so good I'd get noticed by the Hose Brigade. The last thing I wanted was to be pulled up on stage for a firefighter's version of a lap dance.

As I entered my bedroom I once again saw the _La Perla_ bag and I was tempted to take a closer look at the lingerie. I had plenty of nice lingerie of my own so I resisted the urge to wear my anonymous gifts. I went to my dresser and pulled out a matching wonder bra and thong in midnight blue. Then I settled on my favorite pair of jeans and a tight black t-shirt that clung to all my curves. The scoop neck hinted at my cleavage. I wore high-heeled black boots and three coats of mascara. I looked good.

I called my best friend from high school, Mary Lou Stankovic.

"Hey," I said. "How about a girl's night out? Connie's got a table reserved to see the Hose Brigade."

"That sounds great. I'd love to, but I've got sick kids. There's no way I could get away for the entire night. I've heard they're great. They're real firemen from all over America and they have their hometowns written on their g-strings. I hear Mr. Poughkeepsie is impressive."

An hour later I found myself sitting at a table in front of the stage. I was alternately hopeful and concerned Mr. Poughkeepsie would be making an appearance. There was the muffled sound of raised voices and I looked up to see Lula exchanging words with the bartender. She was wearing a bright pink spandex mini-dress. It was strapless and skintight. Her stiletto heels matched the dress, as did her hair. She looked good in a way only Lula could. She flounced her way across the bar and plopped down across from me.

"That bartender won't give me change. I don't have enough dollar bills to make it through the night, and where's Connie? I thought she'd be here by now."

"She's in the ladies' room," I said. "She was worried that you weren't here yet."

"I had Bunchy drop me off. He's gonna come back and drive us all home when I call him." Connie joined us at the table bringing a round of drinks with her. I had a very low alcohol tolerance so I planned on sipping slowly all night long.

"Look over at the door," Connie said. "RangeMan is doing extra security here tonight." Lula and I turned our heads to see Lester and Tank standing by the door. The look on Tank's face was easy to read. He'd rather be anywhere than in the Whiplash Bar with a group of soon-to-be out of control women. Lester, on the other hand looked as if he couldn't wait for the women to be out of control. He caught my eye and gave me a small head nod. I returned a little finger wave to him. Lester was very good looking. All of the Merry Men were, but none of them had the commanding presence of Ranger. I felt a small twinge of loneliness at the thought of Ranger, which I determinedly tamped down. I saw Tank cast a glance toward Lula who was pointedly ignoring him. I wondered how long this new relationship with Bunchy would last.

"Where's your granny?" Lula asked.

"She couldn't be here tonight. She has a hot date with her new beau, Osbaldo."

"Osbaldo?" Lula and Connie coursed together.

"Yes," I said. "And according to Grandma, he's a pip. He lives with his grandson and you'll never guess who his grandson is." I let my eyes settle on Lester. Connie and Lula followed my gaze.

"No!" Lula said.

"Yes, and it's easy to see where Lester gets his charm. Osbaldo is hot—in a senior citizen sort of way. He's living in the RangeMan building with Lester. Grandma Mazur finally has herself a Merry Man!" The lights suddenly dimmed and music started playing loudly, the base so strong it rattled my chest. All conversation ended. As the curtain rose on nine men dressed in transparent firemen's coats, all thoughts of sipping my drink ended and I picked up the glass for a big gulp.

They danced for an hour before taking a break. Lester and Tank got a workout keeping women from crawling on the stage and touching the dancers. I emptied my glass and then a second one that was placed before me. When the dancers left the stage for intermission I realized my tongue was numb. Lula had exhausted her supply of one-dollar bills and was counting her fives to see if she had enough for the second half of the show.

"You're spending a lot of money, Lula," I said.

"It's tax deductible. It's for charity," she replied. "You should be contributing Stephanie. I saw Mr. Reno looking at you. Have you noticed the longer the name of the town they're from, the more real estate their g-strings seem to cover."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Connie said, "and I saw Mr. Reno checking Stephanie out too, but if I was going to go for one of them I think I'd try Mr. Sacramento…if you know what I mean."

"I know what you mean," I said realizing my tongue wasn't the only part of me that was numb. My hand was having trouble grasping the tequila shot that had mysteriously been placed on the table. "I'm disappointed that Mr. Poughkeepsie didn't show," I said, "but it's been so long since I've been on a…uh had a…date… at this point Mr. L.A. is looking good to me."

"What happened with you and Morelli?" Lula asked. "And what happened with you and Ranger? You either got feast or famine." Connie and Lula leaned forward waiting for my answer.

I threw the tequila shot down my throat, the burn bringing tears to my eyes. "What happened is, I had a fight with Morelli, slept with Ranger and Joe walked in on us. It pretty much ended everything with Joe right then and there." There was silence for a moment, both women digesting what I'd said. Normally I didn't say anything. They were shocked I was volunteering information at all.

"You slept with Batman?" Lula asked.

"You did it with Ranger while Joe watched?" Connie asked.

"Yeah, no! Joe didn't watch. Joe came in and saw us in the 'afterglow' phase, I think. I'm not really sure when Joe came in, but he didn't stay long. The next day Ranger went into the wind and was gone for two months. And when he came home he moved his base of operations to Boston. I think he was afraid I'd want a relationship, so he left." It was partly true.

"No, he didn't," Lula said. "I seen him plenty at RangeMan this year. Tank said he's been spending some time in Boston, but he still lives at Haywood." It was my turn to sit with my mouth hanging open in stunned silence. I thought we'd had all the mind-numbing revelations we could handle that night. I was wrong. There was one more, big piece of information to come out. I saw Bunchy approaching the table and I saw Tank following him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 6

Bunchy arrived at our table and sat, uninvited, in the empty chair. He was looking at Lula as if she was the main course and it was way past dinnertime.

"Hey Bunchy," Lula said. "I hope you enjoy watching men dance, honey, 'cause it's just halftime. We got lots more charitable donations to make."

"That's okay," he said, "I got time." He looked at me and said, "How you doing Steph? It's been awhile."

I smiled lopsidedly, the left half of my face too numb to cooperate. He watched me try to balance my empty shot glass on a grain of salt and took that as an indication to order another round.

Tank suddenly appeared at Lula's side. "Is this gentleman bothering you ladies?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Lula. From his position he had a straight shot down her ample cleavage.

"Huhn. This gentleman," Lula said, "is my date. You're the only one bothering us, Tank!"

"Your date?" Tank seemed astounded. "Your date! You dumped me for a Fed?"

"A Fed?" Lula questioned. "You got it all wrong, Tank. My Bunchy here is a bookie."

"Your Bunchy is a Fed, Lula. A G-man, a Feeb, F.B.I." Tank's voice remained low but every syllable was punctuated with less and less control. This could get serious.

Lula's mouth was hanging open. She turned to Bunchy, "You're a cop? I don't do cops. I got a phobia about cops!" The lights suddenly dimmed and a disco version of 'Light My Fire' began throbbing through the bar. Tank reached down and removed Bunchy from his chair. He escorted him to the door. The PA system boomed over the music.

"Ladies! Direct your attention to the center stage. We are pleased to present the most gifted member of the Hose Brigade. The most talented dancing firefighter you've ever seen…Mr. Poughkeepsie!"

Lula sat in stunned amazement, murmuring over and over, "He's a cop. I kissed a cop. He's a cop." I sat in stunned silence, my mind reverberating with the news Ranger, Rat Bastard Numero Uno, had never left Trenton. Connie sat in stunned amazement, her eyes focused on Mr. Poughkeepsie's g-string while she rummaged in her purse for dollar bills. A fresh tequila shot appeared in front of me. After that, things got blurry.

Next thing I knew the lights were on and it was last call. Lula was MIA, but so was Tank so I wasn't so worried. Bunchy was hanging out at the door waiting for Connie and me. Apparently he took his chauffeuring duties seriously. I could barely walk, but with Connie on one side and Bunchy on the other I made it out the door and into his car. The cold air had a sobering effect, so by the time we dropped Connie off I was capable of speech. I watched as Bunchy escorted Connie to her door. They stood for a few moments in conversation and then Connie reached up and kissed him on the cheek before she went inside. It seems Connie didn't share Lula's cop phobia.

Bunchy helped me into the elevator and up to my apartment. He took my shiny new key from my shaking hand and opened the door. "Jeez, Stephanie. You might want to get some help with your drinking. I didn't know you had such a problem. Is that why the cop dumped you?"

I glared at him. "The cop did not dump me. And I don't have a drinking problem." I winced at the shrill sound of my own voice. "I do have a problem, though. I have a stalker. Will you check my apartment for me?" Bunchy, to his credit, became serious at once, adopting his FBI special agent persona. He pulled a gun from under his rumpled trench coat and entered my apartment, motioning me to stay behind. When he had checked that everything was okay he pulled me through the doorway.

"Tell me about your stalker. Do the police know?"

I shook my head, "Nobody knows except me, and now, you." My speech was slurred and I was wobbling on my high-heeled boots. Bunchy pulled out his wallet and extracted a business card.

"You're not making much sense tonight, kiddo. Lock yourself in good and call me in the morning. We'll talk then." He left and I carefully turned my new deadbolt, hooked the security chain and slid the floor bolt. I stumbled my way into the bedroom and stripped off my clothes down to my underwear. I reached in my purse and pulled my cell out. Without thinking I pushed the button. It had been over seven months. A connection was made and there was silence at the other end for a second. I thought voice mail would pick up.

"Yo."

I couldn't speak. My heart was in my throat and there was no room for air. I couldn't breathe.

"Babe?"

Suddenly air rushed back in my lungs. "You rat bastard," I said softly. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't do it. My voice was a tear-filled whisper. I disconnected and fell face forward on my bed, the alcohol helping me into a dark oblivion.

I awoke in the early morning, my apartment filled with the semi-light of a Trenton winter morning. I was tucked in my bed with the comforter snuggled high under my chin. My head was pounding and I knew with certainty I was going to be sick. I threw back the covers and headed for the bathroom kneeling in front of the commode, bending my head forward. Strong male hands pulled my hair back from my face and the scent of Bulgari wafted around me as I retched. I hadn't seen him in over half a year and he was now quietly holding my hair out of the way while I prayed to the porcelain god.

He never said a word, just waited patiently as I totally heaved all my pride down the toilet. He quietly rose and turned on my shower letting steam fill the room and then he walked out closing the door behind him. I peeled off my bra and thong and stepped into the steaming shower. I'd only gotten a brief glance of him but he seemed different. He'd been wearing the normal black t-shirt and cargos, but his hair was short, and his eyes somber.

I stayed in the shower, gathering my courage while my head pounded and the water cooled. Finally, I stepped out and began my usual morning ministrations. I was going to put off this meeting with Ranger for as long as I could. I needed to be sharp and in control and I was a long, long way from that.

When I finally opened the bathroom door I immediately smelled McDonald's french fries. A large order of fries and a coke were sitting on my nightstand. Next to them was a crumpled piece of black leather. I picked it up and smoothed it out, dropping it when I realized I was holding a g-string with 'Poughkeepsie' embroidered down the length of it in white letters. I reached out and grabbed a fry and sat on the edge of the bed. I was alone in the apartment. I could feel it.

I finished the hangover cure and waited for it to work its magic. I pulled my towel off and slipped back under the covers. I never slept naked. It was my Burg upbringing. What if my house caught fire in the middle of the night…well actually it had. If I'd been naked I might have burnt up while I looked for my robe. It was an adjunctive postulate to the 'not wearing holey underwear in case you're in a wreck' school of thinking. In any case, being naked in bed was a rarity for me. The last time I'd been between sheets with nothing on, Ranger had been next to me.

I thought of Bunchy's question about Joe dumping me. Joe didn't dump me. We'd dumped each other, both of us having a secret passion for another we couldn't shake. Circumstances contributed to Ranger finding his way to my bed so quickly after I'd left Joe's, but there was no doubt in my mind it would have happened eventually. It had all gone so wrong. I was still convinced Ranger had feelings for me and I knew I had strong feelings for him, but maybe we were just never meant to be. That would be hard to get over, but I'd already taken the first step and it was an irreversible step.

I got up and dressed, ignoring the frizz bomb that was my hair. I needed some alone time and decided not to go into the office. I picked up my McDonald's trash and my eyes fell upon the g-string. I was puzzled. I was pretty sure I hadn't been involved in its removal from the firefighter and I was totally sure I'd had my last experience with the Hose Brigade.

I wandered down the hallway to the kitchen to dispose of my trash when my eyes went to the foyer. Batman was slipping. It was one thing that he could get into my apartment when the security chain was on and the floor bolt locked. The truly amazing thing was he could leave and the chain would still be locked and the floor bolt still in place. Today, however, both were unlocked. My eyes dropped further and I saw a white envelope protruding into my apartment, partly stuck under my doorjamb.

I reached down and pulled the envelope dislodging it from the door. The familiar handwriting alerted me to what was inside. I ripped the edge of the envelope open and as I pulled the single trifolded sheet out something flittered to the floor. I bent to pick it up, gasping when I realized I was holding my business card from E.E. Martin. I hadn't seen one in years, but it looked like the real thing. Underneath the E.E. Martin logo was my name, Stephanie M. Plum, assistant buyer. The lower corner had my old office phone number and my old cell number. The upper corner had a partial fingerprint in what looked to be dried blood.

With trembling hands I unfolded the paper. The first thing I saw was my head photo-shopped on a picture of a woman's body wearing the very type of underwear I bought for E.E. Martin, a white cotton bra and white granny panties. The picture was in color and the body was riddled with stab wounds, the lingerie stained with dark reddish brown blood and the body lying in a puddle of the same. I dropped the card and paper and ran to the bathroom where I was violently ill. It was the first time my hangover cure hadn't worked.

It took Bunchy an hour to get to my apartment. When I opened the door to let him in he was holding a package. "I came as soon as I could. You sounded like you were really freaked out. What's going on?"

I looked at the brown padded envelope in his hand and began trembling uncontrollably. "What's that?" I asked seeing the bold handwriting on the package.

"I don't know. It was leaning against your door."

"Put it down," I said "and come with me." I took him into the living room disappearing for a moment to get the _La Perla_ bag. We sat on the sofa and I told him everything I knew about my stalker, showing him each letter and the corresponding lingerie. I told him how expensive and exclusive the gifts were. I told him about my female 'cousin' who had delivered the _La Perla _bag and, finally, I showed him the letter I'd received that morning.

"Stephanie,' he said, "this is serious. The last letter here changed this thing from an expensive prank to a credible threat. You need to contact the police."

"I did," I said. "I called you, Bunchy."

He took my hands in his and stared at me for a moment before speaking. His eyes were a nice shade of green set in a wrinkled, weather beaten face that wouldn't ever be described as handsome, but there was kindness in his expression. Bunchy was fortyish, with hints of a surprisingly well-developed body showing through his ill-fitting suit. He might not be the one for Lula, but I hoped Connie gave him a chance. He gave my hands a squeeze.

"Steph, call me Bert. Bunchy is a nickname I'm trying to lose. I think you have a serious problem here. I know you're not with Morelli anymore, but maybe you should call him. I don't think this is a job for the FBI."

"I can't call Morelli. Things really aren't so good between us right now," I said, remembering I'd helped Mooch get away from him.

"Well, what about Ranger?" he asked. "He's not official, but I'm sure he's got the tools to investigate this."

"I can't call Ranger. He's sort of the reason things aren't so good between me and Joe. You're really the only one who can help me." Bunchy…Bert's eyebrows rose and he smiled slowly.

"Okay, I see your problem. I'll do a little snooping around, unofficially. I'll question your neighbors to see if they've seen anything, and I'll take these letters with me to see if I can lift any prints. I'll take the card with the partial and run it through IAFIS. That's the FBI fingerprint database. I'll take the package here and open it in the lab to see if we can pick up anything on it. For now, we're going to assume it contains the garments from the last photo. You keep a low profile and stay here. I'll come back later in the day to let you know what I've got."

He stood and I stood and threw my arms around him, giving him a big hug. "Thank you so much for helping me, Bun...ah, Bert."

"You need to repair your relationship with Morelli," he said. I was startled to hear Ranger's words of so long ago come out of his mouth. "It isn't a good thing to have an uneasy relationship with the law. Now Ranger, well, that guy is a different story. He's crazy and it probably doesn't matter if he likes you. If you got the money he'll keep you safe. But for today, stay close to home and I'll check in with you later." He left and I carefully locked the door behind him. It was going to be a long day.

.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 7

I tried to do what Bunchy said. I sat and waited to hear from him and thought about Ranger. I cleaned the bathroom and thought about Ranger. I dusted the furniture and thought about Ranger.

The next hour I decided to take action. I lived in a building of senior citizens. There was no way someone got in and out of my building without being seen. I was going to question my neighbors. I called Bunchy and told him what I was doing. I found my bullets and loaded my gun. I stuck it in the back of my jeans and let my t-shirt hang loose, then I took the stairs to the third floor and began knocking on doors.

It was amazing, I thought, two hours, two pieces of Entenmann's and one kiss on the cheek later. Only one person in my building had seen anything or anyone unusual and he demanded payment to tell me what he'd seen. The kiss on the cheek came from Mr. Wolesky.

"Hey chickie," he said, "I thought you'd moved. It's been so quiet around here. You in some kind of trouble?"

"Yes," I said. "I have a stalker. Someone is delivering packages and leaving them at my door. Have you seen anybody?"

"No. No I can't say I have. Except for your cousin. I saw her yesterday. You two don't resemble much," he said, staring at my chest. "She's a looker alright."

"Mr. Wolesky, I don't think you know my cousin."

"Sure I do. She introduced herself to me yesterday."

"Who did she say she was?" I asked.

"She said she was your cousin."

I rolled my eyes and went back to my apartment. I called Bunchy to report the news to him.

"I'm on my way over," he said. "I've got a little news for you."

"Bring lunch," I said. "Cluck in a Bucket would be good."

"I'm doing you a favor today, Stephanie. Are you buying lunch?"

I sighed. "Yes, I'll pay you back. Get a bucket of extra crispy."

"That's Lula's favorite," he said wistfully.

Bunchy and I destroyed the bucket of chicken. My earlier queasy stomach was gone and I was ready to take action to find my stalker. After lunch, he opened a ratty black brief-case and handed a large manila envelope to me.

"Here are your photos. I made copies and I'm giving you back the originals, as well as an extra set of copies. There are only one set of prints on all these pictures and they're yours."

"How do you know they're mine?" I asked.

"You're a bounty hunter," he said. "Your prints are on file with the Trenton P.D. It's the law in Jersey. You remember you had to do that when you got your BEA license?" I shook my head yes.

"Well," he paused, and I knew I wasn't going to like what I heard next. "I called the Trenton P.D. and requested a copy be sent to the field office…official FBI business."

"You did what?" I moaned. "I'm well known to the employees of the Trenton P.D. You might as well have put the info on a billboard. Now Morelli thinks I'm in trouble with the FBI. I can almost guarantee he has already heard about your request."

"Yeah, I can guarantee it, too," he mumbled. "And there's more to tell here, Stephanie." Bert Bronfman was on my sofa talking to me. Bunchy, the inept, pretend bookie had disappeared. Bert was all business. I started to pay close attention to what he was saying. "We ran the partial print on your business card, and got nothing. But here's what's interesting. It's not dried blood on the card. It's red paint. The package I took with me contained underwear identical to what was being worn by the body in the picture and there were rips in it as if it had been stabbed. The red marks around the stabbed areas are also paint. No blood anywhere."

"I'm not getting this," I said. "Why would someone do that?"

"The guys in the lab think the picture is of an actual stabbing victim, but it doesn't look like an amateur shot. It looks like a case file picture taken by a crime scene tech. The FBI isn't officially working on this case, but if we were we'd try to cross-check female stabbing deaths in the area and see if we could match the picture to one on file, or find it on the Internet. It would be a tedious business and it probably needs to be done, but…"

"But what?" I asked.

"Stephanie, I had no choice. This is a police matter, and even though I was looking into it for you as your friend, I had to turn it over to the Trenton P.D. It would be unethical not to." I was starting to get that sick feeling back. I thought I knew what was coming.

"I called Morelli," he continued. "I've worked with him before and I thought I owed him the courtesy. He will send someone over this afternoon to talk to you. They will probably take the lingerie and the photos. I brought the stabbed underwear back because I think the police will be interested in them for sure. That's also why I made the extra copies. I thought you might want to keep them if you get Ranger involved. I'm sorry to do this to you, Steph. I know you said Morelli and you were on the outs, but I had to do it." He stood up and started pacing nervously and the more familiar Bunchy was back.

"Joe and I have been apart for almost a year," I said. "We hadn't talked at all until the other night. Things were pretty friendly between us until I scooped his FTA cousin right out from under him. I don't think he took that too well. He never did like it when my job inconvenienced him." Bunchy grinned as if the thought of Joe being inconvenienced was a pleasant one.

I got up and hugged him. "Thanks for everything, Bert. I'm grateful. Maybe the P.D. can catch this guy and my life will get back to normal. And thanks for getting me home safely last night. Connie and I appreciate it. "

"That's okay," he said. "My plans for later last night kind of got busted up. Stephanie, this may not be as serious as we first thought. This could be someone just messing with your mind and not someone that really wants to hurt you, but it's still a matter for the police."

"That's what I was thinking, too," I said. "I'd sure like to know, though, who is calling herself my cousin and why she's leaving lingerie on my doorstep."

I looked up to see Bunchy staring speculatively at me. "So Morelli caught you and Ranger doing the nasty," he said. "I have to say that's a pretty good reason for you and Morelli being apart."

My jaw dropped. Lula was a good secret keeper, usually. "I can't believe Lula told you that."

"Not Lula," he said.

"Connie?"

"Nope"

"Well then, who?" I asked, my voice rising in exasperation.

"You did, on the way home, after we dropped off Connie."

"I don't remember that."

"I'm not surprised." His grin made me remember, in spite of what he'd done for me today, I wasn't overly fond of this man. I had no memory of telling Bunchy anything. Dang that tequila.

"I don't suppose you…" I hesitated, then threw caution to the wind. "You wouldn't know how I ended up with Mr. Poughkeepsie's g-string, would you?"

He grinned again, "Yep."

"…Well?"

"Look, Stephanie, I've got to be going. My involvement here is strictly unofficial. It wouldn't be good for me to be here when someone from the Trenton P.D. shows up." I wanted an answer to my question, but I drew the line at begging. With as much dignity as I could muster I went to the door and held it open.

I locked the door behind Special Agent Bronfman, and thought,_ dang that tequila! _I went into my bedroom and fell onto the bed in my thinking position. For once I didn't fall asleep. I thought. I thought about Morelli. I thought about my stalker. I tried to think about Mr. Poughkeepsie, but it only made my head hurt, and when I couldn't put it off any longer, I thought about Ranger. My mind drifted back to seven months earlier, to the night that was the beginning of the end for Ranger and me.

_It was two months exactly since Ranger had stayed with me. Every night I'd prayed for his safe return. Tonight was no different. I was in the twilight, not asleep but not really awake either. I heard the faintest rustle of fabric on fabric. Electricity skittered up my spine. I looked up to see Ranger standing at my bedside._

"_Where's the cop?" he asked._

"_I have no idea," I said. "I haven't seen or talked to him since the last night you were here." Ranger unhooked his utility belt and dropped it to the floor. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots off. His shirt and pants followed quickly and then he was in bed next to me. His arms went around me pulling me into his embrace. I rested my head on his shoulder and flung a leg across his body, dangerously close to his do-dads. He didn't flinch. I waited for him to make a move, to kiss me, to caress me. I listened to his slow deep breaths and I realized he was asleep. I turned in even closer to him and went to sleep with a tiny knot of dread forming in my stomach. _

_It was morning and Ranger was still next to me. I hadn't planned on keeping the news a secret. Good thing. The waves of nausea came crashing in with scheduled regularity every morning. I carefully slid out of bed and took a brief look at Ranger. He was sleeping deeply, his long hair fanned out on the pillow and framing a face that was noticeably thinner. It must have been a hard two months, I thought, and then there was no more time for thinking. I ran to the bathroom. _

_When I'd withstood the last stomach upheaval and the nausea had started to recede I looked up to see Ranger standing in the doorway. He was shirtless and shoeless. His cargos, zipped but not buttoned, rode low on his hips._

"_Babe?" There was concern in his voice and on his face. I had no internal filter. I didn't even try to break the news softly. I looked up at him from where I knelt, eyes watering and nose running._

"_I'm pregnant."_

_He reached a hand out and helped me to my feet. He wet a washcloth and handed it to me. I washed my face slowly using the time to compose myself. His arm came around my shoulders and he led me gently back into the bedroom where I sat on the edge of the bed. Squatting down in front of me, Ranger took my hands in his. _

"_Whose?" His one word question, uttered abruptly, hung in the air. I had a moment's confusion. I'd never considered he'd ask the question._

"_Whose baby are you carrying?" His voice was soft and well modulated._

"_Yours," I responded. "It's your baby."_

"_Not Morelli's?"_

"_No."_

"_How can you be so sure?"_

"_Because that's what our fight was about. Morelli was upset. We hadn't ...well, been intimate in a month. I kept making excuses to stay away from him. That night he actually said, 'Put out or get out.' I got out. I came back here and went to bed. I woke up and you were here and it was suddenly so clear why I couldn't sleep with Morelli any longer. It's your baby, Ranger."_

_Just for a half second, just for the tick and not the tock, emotion rolled across his face. I couldn't tell if it was happy or sad._

"_I'm sorr…" I started. He put his fingers to my lips stopping my words. Ranger sat next to me on the bed and wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me back and we stayed half-sitting and half-laying locked in an embrace. He turned his face into my hair._

_I heard his soft words and felt his breath ruffle my curls. "Stephanie, I have to leave. I never meant to stay this long. I'll be back tomorrow and we'll talk." He got up from the bed and found his shirt. In a matter of a few minutes he was dressed and ready to go. I'd stayed silent. He turned to look at me and saw something in my face that must have given him second thoughts. He walked back to me and pulled me from the bed. He held me in a tight embrace for a few moments more and then he was gone._

Loud knocking at the door snapped me back into the present. I walked slowly into the living room praying a slow mantra of "Not Morelli please, not Morelli please." I looked through the peep-hole. It was Morelli. Sighing, I unlocked the door and flung it open, waiting for all hell to break loose. It did.

"Stephanie, what were you thinking? You called Bronfman. Why the hell didn't you call me?" He walked in and flopped in my good armchair and stared at me. It seemed natural in some way for him to be there. The last time he'd been in my apartment it was to find me in bed with Ranger. I wondered if he realized that. He stood and began pacing back and forth in my small living room. He turned and walked back toward me.

"Well?" He was waiting for an answer.

"I didn't call you," I said through clenched teeth, "because I knew you'd come busting in here and yell at me."

"Cupcake, I told you the other night that you were still important to me. Why would you think I wouldn't want to help you? And why on earth would you call an FBI agent?"

"Lula and Bunchy have been seeing each other so when I decided to call someone I chose him. I thought you'd still be upset with me because I stole Mooch." Morelli threw his head back and laughed.

"You did me a favor. I had him right where I wanted him and we had a nice talk before he was rebonded the next morning. That's a personal problem that I'm still working out. Terry says the whole thing was a misunderstanding and I'm listening to her, but I'm not yet convinced. But that's enough about that. Tell me about your stalker."

I spent the next hour showing Morelli the gifts and the accompanying pictures. I explained the letters may have arrived before the lingerie, but I wasn't sure as they weren't mailed and I didn't see them until recently. I showed him my Internet searches so he would understand how exclusive the lingerie was.

"I'll take all of this stuff with me," Joe said. "We will retest everything to see if we can come up with something. Who would have access to your business card from E.E. Martin?"

"I don't know," I said. "I emptied my desk into the trash before I left. I didn't even keep a business card for myself. My entire department was let go except for one buyer and the manager. I suppose either one of them could have a copy, but I can't imagine either of them saving it for this length of time and sending it to me now. When we were bought out by Baldicott they kept Shirley Blanco. She had more seniority than me. My manager Anthony Fenoglio had 'family connections' and he was given a manager's job at Baldicott. He's a nice guy and he always did a pretty good job in spite of the way he landed his position. I haven't talked to Shirley since I left, but I ran into Anthony a year or so ago. He and his wife were waiting for a table at the same restaurant as Connie and I. We all had drinks together. I haven't seen or talked to him since."

"Maybe it's a reproduction," Joe said looking at the card. He ran his finger over the dried paint half-fingerprint. "Be careful, Cupcake. And call me if you need me, anytime." He gave me a kiss on the forehead and left, taking all of my beautiful, expensive lingerie with him.

It felt good to have Joe back in my life. He and I were on the same page for once. We were friends. Now it was time to define another relationship.

I pulled out my phone and dialed. I left a voice mail. "We need to talk."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 8

The building on Haywood looked exactly the same. It had been quite awhile since I'd sashayed past the security kiosk and onto the elevator. The Merry Man behind the desk was unfamiliar to me, but I was apparently known to him.

"Hello, Ms. Plum. Ranger isn't here at the moment. How can I help you?"

"Well," I answered, "I'm not sure if you can. I need to speak with him. Will he be back soon? I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"I'm Howdy, ma'am. I started working here about three months ago." Howdy was a large man, maybe even topping Tank in height. His body was one solid muscle topped with a neck thicker than my thigh. His hair was bright orange and corkscrewed around a full face covered in freckles. His grin was engaging as he said, "We've never officially met, but I've heard a lot about you."

I stuck out my hand to shake his, my grin appearing in response to his. He looked like a giant muscle-bound Howdy Doody and judging by his nickname others thought so as well. I felt a little nostalgia for all I'd missed at RangeMan during Ranger's supposed absence.

"Ranger will be back before too long," Howdy said. "He and Tank had a dinner meeting with one of the RangeMan attorneys." I swallowed the lump that found its way to my throat. I hoped I wasn't their main topic of conversation.

My nerves were jumping, but I tried to sound casual as I said, "I have a key to his apartment. I'll just wait for him there." I waited for Howdy to say I no longer had clearance to be in Ranger's personal space. He didn't say that. What he did say both surprised and amused me.

"Would you like me to call Lester? You could wait for Ranger with his grandpa and your grandma if you want." My grandma was at RangeMan. I couldn't get over it. Before I could answer, the elevator door slid open and Lester walked out. He did a double take at seeing me.

"Hi, Steph. How you doing? You look a little pale. Still tired out after last night?"

It took me a moment to realize Lester had been a witness to whatever went on at the Whiplash last evening.

"No, I'm doing fine. That was an interesting show last night, huh?"

Lester smirked. He definitely knew something I didn't. "Yeah, and it got real interesting right at closing time. Did that guy get his g-string back?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said quite truthfully.

Lester laughed. "Yeah, that'd be the story I'd go with too."

"Hey, Santos," Howdy said, "Ms. Plum is waiting for Ranger. I said maybe she could wait in your apartment."

"No can do," Lester said. "I'm just on my way out. Grandpa Osbaldo has a hot date. He hung a do not disturb sign on the door." Lester shot me a speculative look. "I think he has plans to get lucky tonight. I told him I wouldn't be back 'til midnight. I'm giving him space." Grandma was getting lucky on the fourth floor. Despite my nervousness at being an uninvited visitor, I was excited for Grandma.

"I'll just wait upstairs for Ranger," I told them. I hopped on the elevator, key fob in hand, hoping it still worked.

Two hours later I was tired from pacing back and forth in Ranger's living room. My nervousness at confronting Ranger had abated a little. Just being in his space made me feel calmer. I knew I would have to be strong, because while it was one thing to say I was leaving Ranger in the dust, it was another thing altogether to do it. I flopped on the sofa, hugging a pillow to my chest and resting my head on another. Despite my intention to move forward with my life, I couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering back to the time when it all started to go wrong.

_My phone rang and I saw Ranger's number on the caller ID. It had been two days since I told him I was pregnant. Time had crept by while I waited for him to call. The longer I waited the more despair I felt. I knew he wouldn't be happy about the pregnancy. I, surprisingly, was happy. It was nothing I'd hoped or planned for, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I hoped to have a partner to share it with, but if Ranger didn't want to be a part of it, I would experience it on my own._

_I flipped open my phone, "Hello."_

"_Babe, I'm coming over. I've made plans. We're getting married today."_

"_What!"_

"_I'll be there in an hour." He disconnected and I was left with my mouth open, holding a dead phone. _

_When he came we had the fight of all fights. In the end, he had his way. He was marrying me, he told me, because his child would have two parents. I knew he loved me. He'd said so before, always qualifying the statement. Sometimes he said he loved me in his own way. One time he said his love came with a condom and not a ring. Ha! What I didn't understand was how he could categorize his feelings. He loved me, but he never wanted a relationship with me. His lifestyle wouldn't allow him to be in a relationship with anyone. I'd heard that story as many times as I heard the 'I love you' qualifiers. It must have been pregnancy hormones that clouded my mind so much it never occurred to me this marriage wouldn't lead to a relationship._

_The judge was a former Army Ranger. He had arranged for the quiet ceremony to take place in his chambers, complete with his secretary as the single witness required by New Jersey law. It was over almost before it began. As we walked out of the courthouse into the sunshine of the Jersey summer day, I looked down at the plain platinum band on my hand. I was bemused and totally unaware of my surroundings when the first bullet zinged into the stone pillar next to my head. Three more shots had been fired before I realized what was happening. Ranger pushed me down and I landed heavily on the concrete steps. He fell on top of me, shielding me with his body. He managed to pull his gun and return fire._

_The sound of sirens and the screeching of tires as a vehicle pulled away from the curb meant the nightmare attack was over as suddenly as it began. When Ranger rolled off me and helped me to my feet we both looked down with horror at the brownish red stain on the front of my dress and the bright red blood running down my legs._

"_Were you shot?" he asked. I shook my head no, and the despair started to fill my heart._

I came awake suddenly, not realizing at first where I was. Across the room, Ranger sat motionless staring at me. His face was shadowed in the darkness of the room. It was the first good look I'd had of him in over seven months. His hair was short, combed back from his beautiful face. His lips were pursed in a tight line. I couldn't see his eyes well in the darkness of the room, but I knew there was no welcome in them. I sat up.

"I'm divorcing you," I said.

"So I heard. I had dinner with my attorney."

"Well," I hesitated, not knowing exactly how to proceed, "I don't really know what else to say. I just wanted you to know what I was doing."

"You may not need to divorce me. We were never intimate after the wedding. The whole thing can be dissolved, but not by RangeMan attorneys. I won't fight it, but you'll have to find your own attorney. I'm told it would be a conflict of interest for RangeMan attorneys to represent you."

"You won't fight it?" My voice was low and throaty, my surprise at his words making it hard for me to get words out. It had never occurred to me he would fight it.

"I married you to give our baby my name. I killed our baby. I made the decision then you would be the one to make any further decision about our relationship. I won't fight the divorce, Stephanie. I'll give you what you want. I'm surprised you didn't do this immediately after I left."

My temper was simmering. "I would make decisions?" I was incredulous. "What do you mean, you killed our baby? Ranger, what world do you live in?" I was almost at the boiling point. He sat in the chair watching me, not moving at all. I was up and pacing.

"I would make the decisions?" I asked again. "When would I start? After you brought me home from the hospital and told me you were taking yourself out of my life? After you moved to Boston? Lula told me, by the way, that you never totally left Trenton. You just left me."

"Stephanie, I had no choice. I knew that putting you in my life would open you to dangers, but even I never imagined that something would happen so soon after the wedding. It was an assassination attempt on me by someone I had once put away, but it ended up almost killing you and it did kill our baby. It was my fault. I had no choice. I had to leave to keep you safe and I did try to leave Trenton. It's turned out not to be possible for me to remove my presence entirely."

"You deserted me, Ranger." I saw the pain on his face at my words. He stood and turned his back to me. Aha! Mr. Blank Face was having trouble hiding his emotions. I was getting to him and it felt good.

"You were my friend before you were my lover," I continued. "When I needed a friend the most, you left me alone. Oh, you were there for the miscarriage. You brought me home from the hospital and made sure I was physically able to take care of myself. And then, when I needed you, you were gone. You left me to deal with the horror of losing our baby all alone. I didn't tell anyone. Not my parents, not my friends, I was alone and grieving."

He turned to look at me and I saw anguish in his face. Another time I'd have felt compassion for his pain. Tonight I was consumed with my own. Tomorrow, when I had time to think, maybe I could accept that he'd suffered too. Tonight I was going to make sure he saw what I'd been through.

"If you'd stayed Ranger, you'd know you didn't kill our baby. The doctor said it was inevitable. Something called a blighted ovum. The baby was already dead. The doctor didn't know if it was the trauma of the moment or just bad timing that I started bleeding when I did. Our baby never had a chance." He took a step toward me and I held up my hand to stop him. I was on a roll.

"Don't confuse me with Rachel," I said. "You married Rachel to give your other child a name. I wanted you in my life because you were my friend and my lover. This pregnancy was an accident and a gift, but you didn't see it that way."

"I couldn't allow myself to see it that way," he said emotionlessly. His flat voice enraged me. I advanced on him with hands fisted, not thinking in specifics, just knowing I was going to break through the barrier of calm.

"If I can't use your attorney for a divorce then I'll find another one, and you can take back all the money you've given me. I don't want or need your money or your protection. I'm leaving you even if I have to hire Albert Fucking Kloughn!"

He stood silently and let me rage at him.

"You're going to give me what I want? You are so far from knowing what I want…" I stopped talking and launched myself at him. I swung my fists wildly striking his chest over and over until I collapsed onto the soft rug and buried my face in my hands. I cried for the first time since Ranger left seven and a half months ago. I cried for myself and for Ranger, and I cried for our baby.

I felt his arms go around me. I wanted to push him away and I wanted to wrap my arms around him. He picked me up and sat in the chair with me on his lap. He said nothing while I sat huddled in his lap sobbing uncontrollably into his shirt. When I was almost completely spent, I pulled back and wiped my nose on my sleeve. I looked up to see silent tears streaming down his face. He took my face in his hands and turned me to look straight into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Babe. Forgive me."

I laid my head against his chest and sat in his lap unmoving until my breathing returned to normal. Slowly I pushed myself up from his lap and made my way into the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face and wiped the trails of mascara away. My head was throbbing and I knew I had to get away. I needed to be alone to dissect the train wreck this night had turned into.

Ranger was standing in the middle of the living room awaiting my return, his black silk shirt ruined from my tears.

"I'm leaving now," I said quietly. The earlier anger was gone, leaving me feeling incredibly drained.

Ranger walked to the sofa and picked up my coat helping me slip into it. He picked up his jacket and followed me to the door. "I'll take you home. You're in no condition to drive. I'll have one of the guys bring your car home in the morning." I was in no shape to protest.

We rode side by side in the elevator, neither touching nor talking. When the door slid open into the garage I stepped out, only to come to an abrupt halt. I looked up to see my Grandma in an embrace with Osbaldo Santos-Ayres. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear and she laughed. I heard Ranger's in-drawn breath as he realized the identity of the couple.

Grandma Mazur's gaze caught mine and she pulled Osbaldo around to face Ranger and me. "Well, Stephanie, fancy meeting you here. Baldy and I were just leaving. He's giving me a ride home. You're lookin' hot, Ranger. I haven't seen you around much lately."

"No," Ranger replied. "I've been spending a lot of time in Boston."

Osbaldo held the door of his Mercedes open, "Get in, Eddie. There's a chill in the air, even in here. I want to make sure you're staying warm."

Grandma laughed, "Well, I'd say you're doing a dang good job of that." She elbowed him and they both laughed as he helped her into the car.

"Babe, your grandma's sweater was on inside out," Ranger said softly.

"I saw that," I said, "and he called her Eddie. They have nicknames for each other." Ranger made no comment. He fobbed the Porsche unlocked and opened the door for me. We made the entire trip to my apartment in silence. I thought over and over of Osbaldo and Grandma. They were calling each other Baldy and Eddie. They were holding hands. I was envious.

Ranger walked me to my door. He pulled a key from his pocket, put it in my lock and the door swung open. Through my fatigue I remembered I'd had the lock changed the day before. He didn't offer an explanation and I didn't ask. He crossed the threshold in front of me. We'd done this before. I knew he would check my apartment and make sure it was safe before he left. Our eyes fell on the white envelope lying on the floor at the same time. He bent to pick it up and handed it to me. My hand trembled as I took it.

"Babe?"

I didn't say anything. The bold black writing on the envelope made my stomach turn. I ripped the envelope open, not worrying about fingerprints, and pulled the paper from inside. I unfolded the sheet and gasped when I saw my head photo shopped onto a naked body that had been horribly mutilated by stab wounds. Across the bottom of the letter was a crudely printed message.

'Stay away from him. He isn't the one for you.' Ranger took the paper from my hand.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I have a stalker," I said, "but it's being taken care of. Morelli and Bunchy are working on it."

Ranger was silent for a moment, considering his next move. "I'll call Howdy and have him bring your car over. He'll stay in your parking lot until morning."

"Ranger, that's not necessary."

"You're still my wife. It is necessary. Why didn't you bring this to Tank?"

"I'm serious," I said. "I'm moving forward with my life and that no longer includes you or RangeMan."

"Stephanie, I take care of those important to me," he said, as he extended his hand to me.

I shook my head and stepped away from him. He turned and said, "Lock the door behind me," and then he left.

I turned off the lights and made my way into the bedroom. I looked out the window to see him standing by his Porsche looking up at the dark apartment. I pulled open my cell and dialed his number.

"Babe."

"Thank you for the flowers, the ones you brought on my due date." I hung up before he could respond.

A/N: The last chapter was confusing to many people so I reworked a few lines and reposted to make it clearer. Hopefully this chapter has cleared up many questions. If you're still reading—Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 9

The morning dawned sunny and for a moment it was easy to forget it was the middle of a nasty Jersey winter. I pulled my blankets up under my chin and tried to get back to sleep. The room was unseasonably bright and my bladder was full so I gave up the thought of spending the day in bed. As I swung my legs out of bed pain radiated the length of them. Yesterday's histrionics had been hard on me physically as well as emotionally. I'd been so tense throughout the evening my muscles were reacting as though I'd run a marathon.

I should've been full of despair and gloom but my 'glass half full' mentality was finding a little to be optimistic about. I'd survived two very bad things, mostly intact. Losing the baby was horrible, but losing Ranger too was almost more than I could bear at the time. My family and friends had attributed the change in my personality to my break up with Joe, when I'd hardly been giving Joe a thought. No one knew I'd been with Ranger, let alone that I'd been pregnant. Now I'd survived the meeting with Ranger and while I wasn't emotionally unscathed, I was functional.

I had plans to make. As I stepped into the shower my mind ran over a list of things to accomplish for the day. I was going to the bonds office. Even if there wasn't an FTA to bring in, I'd be at the office. Connie, for sure, and possibly Lula would know how I ended up with Mr. Poughkeepsie's g-string. I was going to solve that mystery today, and then I was going to sign a pledge to avoid tequila shots at all costs.

I had to call Joe and tell him about the new correspondence from the stalker. It was getting serious and I'd have to be careful. My gun would be loaded and accessible when I left the apartment.

I was going to formulate a plan to find my stalker. I knew Lula would help. I trusted Joe and the Trenton P.D., but this was personal and I was going to find out who wanted me dead and why.

The last thing on my list was the hardest. Ranger had been in my life for more than two years. I was in love with him and he loved me too, I was sure of it. I was walking away from that love because he'd already walked away from me, for reasons that were logical to him, but ridiculous and inconsistent to me.

I was moving on with my life. Eventually there would be another man I'd desire. I had all of the normal urges and I would find someone. When my want for another man became strong enough, then there would be need as well. I didn't think there'd ever be love again, but as the song says 'two outta three ain't bad'. If I could find someone I wanted and needed then I would build a life without love. Losing the baby had taught me one thing. I wanted children and I would have them. I would love _them_ and that would be enough. Today was the day I made the decision to be open to seeing a new man. I just had to find him.

Once again I thought of my grandma and the lovely glow she wore last evening, along with an inside out sweater. I felt the twinge. I was envious of my grandma and her septuagenarian lover. She was the proof I needed to know my plan was right. I'd find contentment, if not love.

I was in the shower until the water started to go cold, but when I stepped out and wrapped myself in a big fluffy towel I was a woman on a mission. First stop, the bonds office. After I dressed I went to the living room to pick up the envelope and call Morelli. It was missing. I couldn't find it anywhere. Ranger! He'd taken it with him. I found my phone and called.

"Yo."

"Yo, your ass! Did you take the letter from my stalker with you?"

"Yes, I took it to Morelli. There were no prints on it other than yours."

I counted to ten and then back down to zero. I took in a deep breath and blew it out. "That was my property, Ranger, you had no right to take it. I am very serious when I say we are no longer a part of each other's lives."

"We will have to disagree on that, Babe."

I disconnected and called Joe.

"Yeah?" He sounded distracted.

"I understand Ranger gave you my latest letter," I said.

"Yeah, he brought it by the house early this morning. What's up with that? I thought the two of you had parted ways."

"We have," I said. "It's long and complicated story, but basically he stole the letter from me."

"Do we need to add him to the list of suspects?" Joe asked.

"Do we have a list of suspects?" I asked.

Joe sighed. "No, but we have some leads to run down. We're going to talk to your neighbors about the blonde woman, and I've got a guy searching databases for the pictures that were photo-shopped. We've added the latest to that. It looks like a file photo. I think Bunchy was right about that. Listen, I'm up to my eyeballs here. I'll call with any news." He disconnected.

I grabbed my purse and coat and stopped in my tracks. I'd left my car at RangeMan last night. I went to the bedroom and looked out the window. The beige Cadillac sat in its usual spot and it had been washed. I hoped they filled the tank while they were at it.

I walked into the bonds office, took one look at Lula and I knew. "You and Tank patched things up, I see."

"Damn Skippy, we did. How'd you know?"

The door to Vinnie's office opened and Connie came out and sat behind her desk. "Oh, I don't know, Lula," she said. "Maybe it's the funny bowlegged way you're walking, or maybe it's that shit-eating grin you're sporting."

"Well, I can't help it," Lula said still grinning. "Tankie is the man for me. I ain't taking no more side trips with other men."

"Really?" Connie asked. "What about Bert."

"Bert? Oh, you mean Bunchy?" Lula did a full body shudder. "He's a cop. He's a nice guy for a cop, but he's a federal cop. Bunchy's not the man for me."

"Are you sure?" Connie asked, "because I don't want to poach. He asked me out for dinner tonight."

Lula looked surprised, "I got no claim on him, but I didn't realize you knew him that well."

"They got acquainted the other night," I said, "when Bunchy took us home." Connie and Lula turned to look at me as if just remembering I was in the room. "And speaking of the other night," I continued, "I have a little problem."

I had their full attention. "I can't remember much after you found out about Bunchy, Lula."

"Girl, I'm not surprised," Lula said. "You were putting away them shots like crazy."

"I found Mr. Poughkeepsie's g-string in my apartment the next morning and I don't know how it got there. Do either of you know?"

"Sure," Lula said. "It probably fell out of your purse."

I stomped my foot in frustration, "Well, how did it get in my purse? And don't tell me it was because I put it there."

"I don't know how it got in your purse," Connie said. "The last time I saw it you had a death grip on it and it was still covering Mr. P's package. He was dancing right in front of you and you tried to stick a dollar in it to get him to move to another table." I had a fuzzy remembrance of what Connie was saying.

Lula picked up the story, "Then them two heifers from the table behind us jumped up and tackled him. You grabbed a hold of his g-string to keep him from falling and they pulled him backwards. Next thing I know there was a riot. Lester and Tankie escorted them women from the bar and Mr. Poughkeepsie had to run off stage with his credentials waving in the breeze, on account of it's against the law for him to be totally naked in public." Lula stopped to take a breath and I concentrated.

The memories of the later part of the evening were patchy, but I knew she was telling the truth. "I must have stuffed the g-string in my purse for safekeeping," I said. "I'll call the bar and see if I can get it back to him."

"No need," Connie said, waving small piece of paper in her hand. "He called here yesterday. "Apparently," she said, her eyes rolling toward Lula, "someone told security you had it and then gave him this number to reach you." I narrowed my eyes at Lula.

"What!" Lula said. "He was cute and he was looking at you like he thought you was cute too. It's been so long since you had a date I thought maybe I could help you out a little."

"I can vouch he wasn't doing any false advertising behind the g-string," Connie said. "I had a bird's eye view." She pushed the paper in my direction and I grabbed and shoved it into my back pocket.

"I'll call him," I said. "But only to return the g-string. This isn't a good time for me to be looking for a new boyfriend." Even as I spoke the words I remembered my list. I was going to look for a new man. I didn't really see a male stripper as the father of my children, but he'd shown us all he had the right equipment. "I have a new stalker and the guy means business. I have to catch him before I can concentrate on my love life. "

Lula and Connie gathered round and I told them all about my lingerie gifts and the letters that came with them. I told them about Bunchy's help and how he'd turned everything over to Joe. The only part I left out was Ranger's slight involvement. I wasn't ready to talk about him yet.

It was late morning by the time I finished my story, and I was hungry. It dawned on all of us at the same time. There'd been no donuts that morning. Connie closed the office and we headed off to Cluck in a Bucket.

We sat in a booth at the back of the restaurant. The nearby window looked out onto the drive-thru lane and we spent the lunch hour commenting on people waiting in line to order. We weren't malicious and it was good harmless fun. Toward the end of our lunch, conversation turned back to my stalker.

"I don't think anyone has any clues as to his or her identity," I said. "Bunchy found out about the lingerie the other night when he helped me into my apartment. I asked him to help and he did, but in the end he turned everything over to the Trenton P.D."

"Good thing you got over bein' afraid to talk to Morelli," Lula said, "'cause it looks like he's in charge."

"Morelli and I have reached an understanding," I said. "We are friends and I know he'll do everything he can to keep me safe. But we're done as a couple. He and Terry are still together, but I'm not sure if he's talking to his cousin."

Connie sucked the last drops of Coke out of her cup and set in down with a thud. "There's something not right there," she said. "I've known the Morelli boys as long as anyone. Terry was in my class so I've known her for a long time, too. I can't think why anyone in their right mind would choose Mooch over Joe." I'd thought the same thing.

"Terry is definitely in her right mind," Connie continued. "That makes me think she's up to something."

"Mooch claims she's trying to recruit him for her Uncle Vito," I said.

"That may be it." Connie nodded her head in agreement. "One thing about Terry, she's Burg through and through. She'll bend to family's wishes every time. That might make it rough for her and Joe, considering he's a cop."

I spent the afternoon at the bonds office doing a little private research. The last message I'd received made it sound like my stalker was a woman. Mr. Wolesky, Mrs. Bestler and Dillon had all seen a woman at my apartment. But who was the man she was warning me away from? There'd been no man in my life for months.

And then there was the business card from E.E. Martin. What was that connection? My former manager was still employed in the lingerie business at Baldicott, Inc. I found his office address and number. I jotted down his number and shoved it into my pocket, where he could keep company with Mr. Poughkeepsie. I had two phone calls to make before the day was over.

By late afternoon, I'd worked my way down my list of things to do and I was feeling pretty good about the day, until a shadow fell across my desk. I looked up to see Ranger standing in front of me. I was so engrossed with thoughts of my stalker I hadn't seen or heard him come in. My spidey sense was missing.

"We need to talk. Will you have dinner with me?"

"I don't think so, Ranger. We discussed everything we needed to last night." I heard a shuffling sound and Connie and Lula were inching their way closer to the desk. Ranger hadn't been in the office in months and it was clear they weren't going to miss any part of our exchange. It was the first time they'd seen us together since my confession of Joe finding Ranger in my bed.

"We do need to talk, Babe. If you'd rather do it here," he shot a look over his shoulder at Lula and Connie, "we can, but I had someplace more private in mind." There was more shuffling and another advance by Connie and Lula.

I sighed. "Okay, I'll have dinner with you. I have a couple of things to finish up here first."

"Come to Haywood when you're done. Ella will prepare something for us."

He nodded his head at Lula and Connie and stepped through the door. There was an audible whoosh like air leaking from a balloon as Connie and Lula turned back to their work. It was a sign of their friendship I wasn't immediately hit with a barrage of questions. They'd wait until tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 10

I was unexplainably nervous when I called the number on the piece of paper Connie had given me. Rob Balestere, also known as Mr. Poughkeepsie, answered on the first ring.

"Hi, uh Rob?"

"Yeah."

"This is Stephanie Plum, I have your, well somehow I ended up with your g-string and I'd like to get it back to you. Could I mail it to your home in Poughkeepsie?"

He laughed. His voice was deep and velvety and I smiled a little, my nervousness melting at the pleasurable sound of it. "I don't really live in Poughkeepsie," he said. "Someone came up with the idea of the dancers using city names as identifiers. I'm the only one that could fill...well let's just say the Mr. Poughkeepsie costume fit me best. I live here in Trenton."

"Oh, that's great. Maybe you could stop by the bonds office where I work and pick it up."

"I'm actually on duty until late tomorrow afternoon. What about we meet someplace and I'll buy you dinner."

It was on the tip of my tongue to say no. I drew in a breath and the word was actually forming on my lips, "That would be nice." Where'd that come from?

"Great," Rob said, "What about tomorrow night at six. We could meet at Pino's." I thought for a moment. Pino's was a good choice. There was sure to be someone there I knew as it was a favorite hangout of cops…and firefighters, I realized. The burg grapevine would be buzzing with news of my date, but if he turned out not to be as nice as he sounded that could be a good thing. Pino's would be safe.

"Okay," I said. "It's a date." The words felt funny on my lips. Without giving myself too much time to think, I pulled the second piece of paper from my pocket and dialed the Newark office of Baldicott, Inc.

A couple of transferred calls and a short time on hold later and I found myself talking to Anthony Fenoglio.

"Stephanie, it's good to hear from you. I don't think we've spoken in quite awhile. What can I do for you?" I could hear the curiosity in his voice.

"I was wondering if you'd have time to see me tomorrow. I have something to discuss with you and I'd rather do it in person."

"Yes, I'm sure I can make time for you. Why don't we have lunch? We can discuss old times."

"That'd be great," I said. Discussing old times was exactly what I wanted to do. I was going to find out the relevance of my stalker having my business card and possibly Anthony Fenoglio could help.

I turned to Connie, "I'm probably not coming into the office tomorrow," I said. "If you get in an urgent skip give me a call. Otherwise I'm going to take care of some personal business."

Lula quit filing and came to the desk where I was rummaging in my purse looking for car keys. She bent forward splaying her hands with the inch-long cotton-candy pink acrylic nails across the blotter. "Girl, you best be comin' in here the next day with donuts. Your next three meals are all with different men and that's something me and Connie are gonna want to hear about."

I smiled up at her, "I'll let you pick one meal and I'll tell you all about it." I left the bonds office with Connie and Lula deep in thought. I didn't think my lunch with Anthony would hold much interest for them, but Mr. Poughkeepsie and Ranger might run a close race.

I adjusted my pillow and slid behind the wheel of the Cadillac. I started the car and turned the defroster on high. The sunshine of earlier was gone, replaced with the murky light of dusk and impending night. Winter days were short in Trenton. The temperature had dropped along with the fading light. I waited for the windshield to clear and wondered if I should go home before heading to Haywood. I was wearing my good jeans and black CAT boots. I'd dressed in layers to keep out the chill of the season, my baggy Douglass College sweat-shirt covering a stretchy white tee. Despite what Connie and Lula imagined, this meeting with Ranger was not for pleasure. I threw the car into drive and headed to Haywood.

Howdy was on door duty. "Hi, Ms. Plum," he said his broad face beaming. "Ranger is expecting you, just go on up." I thanked him and wondered at his Merry Man ability. He was built for the part, but his face was so wholesome and his manner so engaging it was hard to imagine him as a bad-ass RangeMan employee. Maybe Ranger had hired him to improve public relations.

I took a deep breath before I knocked on Ranger's door. I was nervous and upset with myself for being so. He opened the door and I saw I was right not to go home and change. He was wearing his typical black cargos and long-sleeved black t-shirt. He didn't speak as he stepped back to let me pass him. His eyes took in everything about me, working from my boots, over my down jacket and lingered on my face.

"Cut it out, Ranger. You're trying to make me nervous and it's working."

"Babe," he said slipping my coat from my shoulders, "I'm not trying anything with you. Come on. Ella's brought dinner." He put his hand on the small of my back and directed me toward the kitchen. We ate baked chicken and steamed vegetables and I enjoyed them. Once again Ella had taken a healthy meal and managed to make it delicious. We ate in silence and it should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't. At the end of the meal Ranger placed a small covered plate in front of me.

"For you, from Ella," he said. I removed the cover to find an enormous piece of cheesecake covered in raspberries and drizzled with dark chocolate. I picked up my fork and took a bite. The bitter chocolate and sweet raspberries mingled with the tang of the cheesecake. I felt the tingle of pleasure as the flavors bounced on my tongue and sent quivers of delight along my lips and to the back of my mouth. I took another bite, then another.

My eyes were closed and a pleasurable "mmmm" slipped out as I licked raspberry juice from my lips.

I opened my eyes to see Ranger staring at me. His eyes were heavy lidded, his cheeks flushed and his lips parted as if he wanted a bite as well. Without thinking I scooped up a forkful of cheesecake and leaned across the table. He opened his mouth and I placed it on his tongue. His eyes never left mine as he swallowed. The awareness between us was palpable and unplanned. My nipples were so swollen and taut they ached. I looked briefly down to see them pebbled through all my layers of clothing. Ranger's eyes followed mine down lingering on my shirt front. I ached for his touch.

Our gazes met again and I saw his eyes darken with desire and something else. Sadness? Regret? I didn't know, but it reminded me he was soon to be my ex-husband. He'd hurt me in a way I didn't know I could be hurt. I'd vowed to leave him behind and start a new life, but all I wanted was for him to take me in his arms and make love to me.

"Babe, we really need to talk." He stood up and reached for my hand. We walked hand in hand into his living room. I didn't want to talk. My body was reminding me of all kinds of things I'd rather do, but the logical part of me knew we had to discuss our situation. The logical part won.

"Why are you suddenly back in my life?" I asked him.

"I'm back in Trenton. I don't mean to be a permanent part of your life…" I stumbled, his words striking me with the force of a fisted blow. _Get a grip Stephanie_, I told myself. You are in total agreement with him. You want to divorce him. You're going to find a man to give you babies and a humdrum life. It's what you want. I shook my head to dispel the voice.

"If you're not meant to be in my life, why aren't you cooperating with the divorce." I asked.

"I didn't say I would contest it," he said. "I just said I wouldn't actively pursue it. It has to be your decision. I left Trenton to put space between us. The world in general can't see you as my woman. It's a very dangerous position to hold."

"Lula said you never left Trenton," I reminded him.

"I left Trenton and planned to move my part of the business to Boston on a permanent basis, but I kept getting called back here. I tried to leave, Babe, but the business in Trenton is growing. It's at a point where I have to be here. I'm moving back in to Haywood full-time. I'll be back in the office daily starting next week. I'll be taking a more active role in the BEA sector as well. We'll be seeing each other on a professional basis once again, because I'll be doing some of the RangeMan work for Vinnie."

I sat in the big armchair and pulled my feet up underneath me. I kept my eyes glued to the intricate pattern of the rug in front of me. "What are you saying, Ranger? Are you saying you're available now if I need help with a skip?"

"RangeMan is always available to you, Stephanie, whether I'm here or not."

"I know I can always call on Tank for help," I said somewhat sarcastically, "but what about you? Are you going to reprise your role as Henry Higgins and be my mentor? When the marriage is over are you still going to pursue me for a lover? Are you still the opportunist?"

"What do you want me to be, Stephanie?" His voice was soft, his expression blank. I'd struck a nerve somewhere for him to withdraw so completely.

"I want you to be honest, Ranger. I want you to tell me you sent me back to Morelli the first time we made love to protect you, not me. I want you to tell me you felt the pain too, when I lost our baby. I want you to tell me that you don't love me so I can walk away." He was silent.

I stood and walked to the foyer. I picked up my coat and purse and walked out the door, letting it close softly behind me. While I stood waiting for the elevator door to slide open I heard a muffled thunk from inside the apartment. It sounded remarkably like a fist punching through drywall.

As I stepped off the elevator I noticed my car had been moved to a different spot in the RangeMan garage. I made my way across the floor and noticed once again the car had been washed. Howdy appeared in the doorway to the lobby.

"Good timing, Ms. Plum," he said beaming at me. "I just finished with your car."

"Howdy," I said, "you don't have to detail my car every time I visit. And please, call me Stephanie, or Steph but not Ms. Plum." I smiled to take any edge off my words. I was struggling for composure, my mind still in chaos after leaving Ranger's apartment.

"Okay, Steph," he responded. "But technically I wasn't detailing your car. I just finished installing the rest of the trackers."

"The rest of the trackers?" I was sure I hadn't heard correctly.

"Yeah," he continued. "RangeMan was unaware you'd purchased this car until yesterday and Ranger had me bring it to your parking lot before it was fully outfitted last night."

He'd left me alone at my lowest point, at my most vulnerable, and now he was back, having trackers installed on my dilapidated car. Lula said he'd never really left, but I knew he'd tried. No one but he and I knew the reasons behind what he'd done. I'd seen first hand, last night, the pain it had cost him to remove himself from my life. I knew he believed he was keeping me safe from unknown dangers, and Ranger, more than anyone else, would understand what was required to keep me safe. But trackers on my car after I'd told him I was starting down a new path without him? I wanted to go upstairs and punch him in the gut, knee him in the groin, wrap my arms around him and not let go. I got in my car and drove home.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 11

"Will you honor the client-attorney privilege under any circumstances?" I asked my brother-in-law.

"Of course, I…I will take any secret you tell me to the grave." Albert Kloughn was a good man and I thought I could trust him. I pulled my checkbook out of my purse and wrote him a check for thirty-five thousand dollars. I handed him the check and watched his eyes grow large.

"I need you to handle my divorce, Albert. No one, especially my family, knows I'm married and that's the secret you have to keep."

"Stephanie, I can keep your secret, but this is way too much money." The money wasn't mine and I didn't want it. I figured Albert could use it. He practiced out of a small store-front, serving as his own secretary. Albert was more than capable of the job I needed done.

"You'll earn the money, Albert, and I want you to have it. I need a divorce and I need it as quickly and quietly as possible." I sat in the chair in front of his desk and told him the barebones details of my marriage to Ranger. I didn't want any settlement, I just wanted out and I knew even Albert could handle that.

I left Albert's little office and headed my Cadillac toward Newark. I had a lunch date with Anthony Fenoglio. I didn't really think he'd be able to shed any light on my stalker, but I was going to ask questions anyway.

My job at E.E. Martin ended when appropriate palms weren't greased. The company wasn't owned by the mob, just allowed to exist by the mob. My boss was given his position because of his family connections. In one of life's little ironies he embraced his token position and became very good at his job. When Baldicott, Inc. bought out the failing E.E. Martin they brought Anthony Fenoglio with them. He had wanted to bring me along as well, but there'd only been one vacant position and he regretfully gave it to the assistant buyer with the most seniority, Shirley Blanco.

Anthony was ten years older than me. He'd been a good boss. My time at E.E. Martin was a turbulent one on a personal level. I'd been single when I started with the company and single when I was fired. Dickie happened in between. Dickie Orr and I had a whirlwind courtship. Turns out the courtship lasted longer than the marriage, and through it all Anthony had been a very understanding boss. He and I had shared many lunches during those days and he was a good sounding board for me. Anthony was happily married to his high school sweetheart and it was beyond his experience for a man to treat a woman like Dickie had treated me. When my mother was appalled that I was giving up on the marriage because of a few infidelities, Anthony was firmly in my corner. I was looking forward to seeing him again.

Anthony was one of those men who started out average looking and improved with age. The grey at his temples gave his otherwise nondescript features an air of distinction. He was dressed in a blue suit, white gold and diamond cufflinks sparkling at the wrists of his French cuffed dress shirt. He was the epitome of a well-dressed executive. His dark brown eyes were warm with welcome as I entered his office.

"Stephanie, it's so good to see you." Pushing back his chair he came to his feet and walked forward to embrace me in a warm hug.

"Wow, Anthony," I said, "You've come up in the world. These are pretty fancy digs."

He smiled, "Would you like a little tour before lunch?"

"That would be great."

We ambled leisurely through the offices. It became apparent immediately Baldicott was a step up from E.E. Martin. We passed an open door and I glanced inside to see what looked like a work-room. "What's this?" I asked.

Anthony hesitated and then extended his hand showing me into the room.

"Baldicott is experimenting with importing a small amount of high quality lingerie to be sold at exclusive boutiques." The little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The room was filled with exactly the kind of 'gifts' I'd been sent. I walked over and picked up an elegant lavender teddy. There was no manufacturer's tag.

"This is lovely," I said.

"Yes, it is. It's from a new and relatively unknown designer. This new project is kind of my baby. Baldicott will be opening several small boutiques in high end shopping districts in the north-east. If the trial goes well, we may go nationwide."

I wondered for a moment if this was where my gifts had come from. It would explain the wide array of manufacturers and the link to E.E. Martin couldn't be denied. I looked up to find Anthony staring at me with an intensity that was unnerving. The little hairs standing on end at the back of my neck began to dance.

"Stephanie, I have something to ask you." He said it with such a calm, matter of fact voice I lost the feeling of unease. Anthony was a good man. I couldn't believe he was responsible for the threats I'd received.

"Let's go to lunch and we'll talk," he continued. "I'd been thinking about calling you when you called me. I hope you'll be amenable to what I have to say."

We ate lunch at a small elegant French restaurant in the lobby of the building that housed the corporate offices of Baldicott. It was clear Anthony was a regular. I was glad I'd taken time with my appearance that morning. My hair was atypically restrained. I'd opted for a little black suit and a white silk blouse. I wore four inch black pumps and I thought I looked professional…and hot. I'd even shaved my legs.

"May I order for you, Stephanie?" he asked. "I'm quite familiar with the menu." I nodded my assent and knew I'd made the right decision with my first bite of fig and olive tapenade. I looked over to see Anthony smiling at my obvious enjoyment.

As we ate I waited for Anthony to tell me what was on his mind. His increasing nervousness made me uneasy. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Anthony, you've gotten my curiosity up. What did you want to talk to me about?"

He looked down at his plate and then looked up. I saw pain in his eyes. "Do you remember all the lunches we shared? I'd listen to you talk about your troubles with your husband?"

"Yes," I said.

"Well, I could have used you in the same way," he said. "My wife blindsided me last year. She left me for someone barely above the legal age. I could have used a friend and many times I thought about calling you."

"Anthony, I'm so sorry for you." I reached out and gave his arm a squeeze. He took my hand in his and held it, his arm extending across the small table.

"Stephanie, are you seeing anyone right now?"

Was I? I hesitated before I answered. I was technically married to Ranger and I had a date that evening with Mr. Poughkeepsie. "I'm not involved with anyone right now," I said. Did being undyingly in love with Ranger count?

"I'd like to take you out," he said. "I think of you as a friend, but I could see that changing into something more, at least on my part."

It was on my list. I was going to find someone to spend my life with. The man in front of me was kind, attractive and interested in me. It was time to step up to the plate. "I'd like that," I said.

I was uneasy with the idea of dating Anthony and I wasn't sure why. I was going to go through with it, though. I couldn't get my mind off the lingerie I'd seen in the workroom. If there was a connection with my stalker, I was going to find it. We made plans for dinner the following night. He pulled me to him and gave me a small hug as I left the restaurant.

It was mid-afternoon and I didn't have anything planned until my dinner with Rob Balestere. I stopped by the bonds office partly to see if there were any skips and partly to avoid spending time on my own. Time alone might mean thinking about Ranger, my future, and my stalker. For the time being I was pushing those thoughts into a distant corner of my mind.

"Hey," Lula said as I walked in the door. "Me and Connie was just talking about you."

"Oh yeah? It had better have been good."

"It was great. We just got a new skip in and I told Connie you were gonna love this one."

"Who?"

Connie came through the door from Vinnie's office. She paused for a moment for effect and then said, "Joyce Barnhardt."

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know Vinnie even bonded her out let alone that she missed a court date. What'd she do?"

"She asked Vinnie to keep it on the down low and he did. She was caught over at the multi-plex having sex in the back row. Lucky for her the kid she was boinkin' just had his eighteenth birthday the day before or this would be a whole different thing." I had no trouble believing Joyce was guilty as charged. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't show up for court.

"She missed her court date," Connie continued, "and Vinnie's pissed. He did her a favor by bonding her out personally and then she didn't show."

"I'll go after her first thing tomorrow morning," I said. "I've got a date tonight at six. I was going to do a little shopping. Anyone want to come along?"

"Is this for your dinner with Mr. Poughkeepsie?" Connie asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll lock up. He was one cute fireman and Lula and I are going to make sure you look hot."

"Yeah," Lula laughed. "You're gonna be so hot there'll be sparks."

"You'll be smoking," Connie laughed pleased with her cleverness.

"Enough with the stupid fireman puns!" I groaned.

"We aren't saying puns," Lula said. "These here are double entendres. I'd a thought Ranger would have taught you all about those."

"And speakin' of Ranger," Lula continued, as she and Connie piled into my Cadillac, "we need the rest of the story."

"There is no rest of the story," I said.

"Well, the other night at the Whiplash you said you slept with Batman. What happened after that?"

Dang that tequila. Oh well, they might as well hear a few small details. I had to tell them enough to make my current situation believable. "To start out with, I didn't sleep with Ranger…I spent all night in bed with him, but I don't remember much sleep." Connie and Lula giggled like teen-agers.

"Tell me he was as good as he looks like he'd be," Connie said fanning herself at the thought.

"He didn't disappoint."

"Why aren't you with him?" Lula asked.

"Ranger doesn't do relationships. He never intended to spend more than one night with me. End of story." Something must have come across in my voice because the topic of conversation turned to our shopping and there were no more questions about Ranger.

The shopping trip was successful. It had taken only an hour and a couple hundred dollars on my Visa. When I got out of the Cadillac and headed toward the entrance of Pino's I felt good. It might have been the extra coat of mascara I'd swiped on or it might have been the _Victoria's Secret _bombshell push-up bra, but there was a swagger to my step.

Rob Balestere was standing inside the door waiting for me. I smiled as I saw him, taking in his black hair, cut in a short no nonsense style. His eyes were grey and framed by little laugh lines. He was a nice looking guy in a boy-next-door sort of way, and I knew from the night at the Whiplash that what his tight jeans promised he could deliver. I reached into my purse and pulled out a carefully folded g-string. He smiled as he took it from me and slid it into the front pocket of his jeans. My eyes followed his hand down and then quickly back up to his face. He was laughing at me.

We sat in a booth and began an easy conversation immediately. I watched his eyes as I took off my jacket. Yep, the bra made the outfit. Rob turned out to be not at all what I expected.

"You're the first male stripper I've ever shared a meal with," I told him.

"I'm a fireman," Rob said. "I just moonlight as a dancer. Have you ever eaten with a fireman before?"

I shook my head no. "Two firsts at once."

"I consider myself first and foremost a fireman," he said. "We dance to raise money for scholarship funds. The Hose Brigade charges a fee for the performance and the money goes to the families of firemen who've been disabled or killed in the line of duty. We get to keep our tips so I dance mainly for the extra money because it helps pay my kid sister's college tuition." I liked him even more.

"I don't know how I'm going to break it to Lula," I said with a big smile. "All those dollars she was stuffing into g-strings the other night weren't tax deductable after all!"

Our conversation continued throughout the evening, becoming more and more animated. He was funny and charming and he had good friend potential. Occasionally I looked around the bar to see if I saw anyone I knew. I figured there'd be someone watching to report the going's on to my mother. Remarkably there was no one. The evening passed quickly and I found myself standing with Rob next to my Cadillac.

"I had a nice time," I told him preparing to get in the car. He reached out and pulled me to him. He was going to kiss me and I was curious enough to let him. His mouth was gentle on mine. When I didn't resist he deepened the kiss. His tongue slid cautiously into my mouth as if asking permission. I touched my tongue to his and he explored my mouth. His hands ran up and down my back pulling me closer to his body. I could feel all of Poughkeepsie pressing against my abdomen. Slowly, reluctantly he pulled back. He leaned his forehead against mine and the vapor from our breaths intermingled in the cold Trenton night air. As first kisses went, it was nice. I had been hoping for something more than nice. I'd been hoping for the mind-numbing slam of desire that started in my belly and spread throughout my body until I was quivering with need. I'd been hoping for Ranger.

Be careful what you ask for, Grandma Mazur always says. As Rob pulled away and went to open my car door for me I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. Tank and Ranger stood in the doorway of Pino's watching Rob and me. I didn't know if they were on their way in or on their way out, but I knew I was getting the heck out of Dodge. I fired up the engine and with a little wave to Rob took off with my foot to the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 12

Ranger was waiting for me when I pulled into my parking lot. I did a double take when I saw him. I'd made a quick stop to pick up a quart of Ben and Jerry's, but I was still surprised he'd beaten me home. His Porsche was parked in the back corner of my lot and despite the cold winter night he was leaning motionless against the side of his car, arms folded across his wind-jacketed chest. I thought about pretending I hadn't seen him, but that would just be putting off the inevitable.

I got out of my car and walked toward him attributing the sudden shivering of my body to the winter wind. I was in denial. I looked him full in the face as I walked closer. It was still a little shock to see him without his long hair. It didn't take anything away from his bad-ass image. If anything it made him look more business-like, and I was afraid he thought I was his business.

"Are you expecting company?" he asked as I stopped in front of him.

"No," I said. "I don't make a habit of entertaining in my apartment on a first date." I was waving a red flag at the bull and I knew it.

"You shouldn't be dating at all," Ranger said. "Technically you're still a married woman."

"Not for long. I hired Albert this morning."

"Babe, we need to talk."

"You said that last night, Ranger."

"Last night didn't go at all as planned." I thought about that for a moment.

"Come on up," I said. "We really do need to talk." We were going to talk about the trackers and how soon he could take them off my car. I was going to tell him I'd paid Albert thirty-five thousand dollars to handle the divorce. He was going to see I was serious.

As we walked into the lobby the elevator door swung open. Mrs. Bestler was working the late shift. She stood by the control panel in a quilted polyester housecoat and purple fuzzy slippers. Her meager bangs were wrapped around an antique brush roller held in place by a pink pick. Ranger headed for the stairs. I hooked my arm through his and pulled him through the elevator door.

"Good evening, Mrs. Bestler. Second floor please."

We made the short trip in silence. As the door swung open Mrs. Bestler announced "Second floor, ladies' better dresses, lingerie." We stepped out and turned to walk toward my apartment. We came to a halt with perfect synchronization. A stick figure had been drawn on my door. A white bra and panties riddled with stab marks were taped to the stick figure in the appropriate areas. It was identical to the underwear from the photograph. The words 'leave him alone' were scrawled in red paint above the stick figure.

I dropped the ice cream and my purse. Little spots danced in front of my eyes. I felt Ranger's arm go around me, his voice in my ears, "Breathe, Babe." I stood still while I watched him pull his phone from his pocket and take a picture of the door. He walked close and used the key I'd seen him use before, being careful not to touch the door. This time I watched more closely and I saw him move the key up and down in the lock. There was a click and the door swung open. I was seeing the wizard in action, but I was too distressed by the message on the door to appreciate it.

He came back and picked up my purse and the ice cream and took my arm.  
"Be careful not to touch the door," he said.

We walked through and I took the ice cream from him. I went to the kitchen and found a spoon. I opened the carton and dug in. It didn't occur to me to offer Ranger a spoon. He seemed to be in control. I was not.

As I walked back into the living room, he asked, "Do you want to call Morelli or do you want me to?"

"I'll call Morelli," I said, "but give me five minutes." I set the ice cream down long enough to peel off my coat and plop on the sofa. I saw Ranger's eyes skim over the shirt I'd worn to impress Rob. The darkening of his eyes made me think he appreciated it too, but then the curtain came down and his blank face was back.

He sat in silence and watched me as I ate half the quart of 'Karamel Sutra.' I got up and took the remainder to the freezer and turned to find Ranger standing behind me phone in hand.

"Call Babe, or I will."

I took the phone and called Morelli. His voice was scratchy and obviously I'd interrupted his sleep. I checked my watch and was surprised to see it was almost midnight. The time I spent with Rob had passed quickly.

"Sorry to wake you, but there has been another incident," I told him. I explained the message on the door and heard his grumble.

"Okay, I'll get a team over there and we'll check for prints and anything else we can find. It'll be a bit. Are you okay there by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm okay and I'm not alone." I was hesitant to tell him Ranger was there. Joe had tried recently to warn me off Ranger and I didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

"Well," I said as I disconnected, "You said you wanted to talk. You've got maybe thirty minutes until Joe gets here." As I attempted to walk past Ranger his arm wrapped around my waist halting my progress. He pulled me against him.

"Why are you dating a male stripper?"

"Why did you and Tank see me with a male stripper?" I asked. "Was it coincidence or was it the infamous RangeMan tracking system? Why won't you back off and let me live my life?"

He shook his head slightly side to side and said, "I don't know if I can." His arms tightened around me and I became aware of the closeness of our bodies. Ranger walked me backwards and I brushed up against the counter. He dipped his head and while my brain was screaming no I was lifting my face and parting my lips to accept his.

His mouth fastened onto mine and I was lost. I arched my back to strengthen the contact between us. His hips rotated against my pelvis and I could feel every inch of his erection. My heartbeat was erratic, my breath coming in little gasps as we broke the kiss for milliseconds to draw in air and then continue. Desire was a living thing within me, coiling out from my core and bringing a warm tingling wave of pleasure with it. His grip loosened and his hands cupped my breasts. His thumbs glided softly over my pebbled nipples standing at attention under my shirt. We were fully clothed and I was seconds away from an orgasm when he pulled back with a softly uttered curse.

Over the roar of blood in my ears I heard a faint knocking.

"It can't be Morelli. It's too soon," he said. He pulled me to the door and looked through the peep-hole. "It's the crazy lady from the elevator."

I took a few seconds to compose myself before I slid the door open. Mrs. Bestler had removed her hair curler and was finger combing her bangs. Her eyes darted from the underwear hanging on my door, to Ranger, and then settled on me. "Stephanie," she began. "I don't want to interrupt you and your young man, but I'm off duty now and I wanted to say something before I went home. I'm happy to see you with a new gentleman friend. I was worried all day since I saw your cousin with your old boyfriend. I didn't think that was right."

"My cousin?" I asked.

"Yes, dear. Your cousin, you know, the one I met when she delivered a gift for you. I saw them at Fiorelli's today. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other." I felt Ranger come to stand close behind me. Mrs. Bestler continued, "I thought your feelings would be hurt because she was with that Morelli man, but I see you've got another hot one on the line." She winked at Ranger and turned and ambled down the hall. She turned at the stairway to make her way to her apartment when Joe came bounding up the stairs. She shook her head at him making a _tsk, tsk_ sound and clacking her dentures as she punched him in the arm. Joe stopped and looked at her in surprise, but when she kept on going he turned his attention to Ranger and me standing in my doorway. Ranger stepped into the hall and together they examined my door. I walked back into the apartment and sat on the sofa to consider what I just learned.

In some ways it made perfect sense. Physically, Terry fit the description of my stalker. Blonde, well built, pretty. But why would she leave me gifts of expensive lingerie and then threaten my life. When Terry was a senior in high school she was a cheerleader and prom queen. She had her pick of any guy and she chose Joe. She'd been a 38D who was fond of wearing tight sweaters while I'd been a sophomore struggling to fill out a training bra. I was no competition for her then or now. She clearly had Joe's affection. He was still seeing her after she'd been caught in a compromising position with his cousin. He was still seeing her even though her family had big-time mob connections.

The Trenton P.D. team arrived and dusted the door for fingerprints. Ranger stood in the hall, silently for the most part. Occasionally he made a comment to Joe or answered a question from one of the technicians.

I went to the freezer and removed the half-eaten quart of ice cream. I was staring at the bottom of the carton when Joe and Ranger walked in, closing my now naked door behind them.

"We got a couple of partials off the door," Joe said. "We'll check and see if they match the fingerprint from the business card. I don't know what we'll find on the underwear. Early indications are the red marks around the stab wounds aren't blood. We'll check to see if it's the same paint that was used on the underwear your stalker delivered to you. I think someone's trying hard to scare you, Cupcake."

I looked from Joe to Ranger. "It's working. I think I know who my stalker is, Joe." I didn't relish telling him, especially in front of Ranger, but he had to know. I thought this could be the death knell to his relationship with Terry and I didn't want to be responsible for that even in this circumstance.

"Were you and Terry at Fiorelli's today?" I asked.

Joe's brows drew together in a frown. "Yeah, we had lunch there."

I sighed, "Mrs. Bestler was just here. She saw the woman that said she was my cousin. Mrs. Bestler was at Fiorelli's today and she saw my 'cousin'-the one who brought me a gift-with you."

"Terry?" Joe sounded surprised. "Mrs. Bestler is a crazy old bat. Terry's not your stalker."

"Do you have a picture of Terry with you?" I asked.

He nodded and pulled out his wallet opening it to show me.

Mindless of the time, I picked up my phone and called Dillon. I was relieved to hear the TV in the background, so at least I didn't wake him up. "Hi, it's Stephanie. Could you run up here for a moment, Dillon?"

Less than two minutes later there was a knock on the door. I opened the door to see Dillon staring at the mess. "Bummer, Steph," he said. "I'll get that painted first thing tomorrow."

"Come in for a minute, Dillon," I said. "I want to ask you something." I took the wallet from Joe and opened it up to the picture of Terry. "Do you recognize this woman?"

Dillon looked for a moment and all of us saw recognition dawn on him. "Yeah, that's your cousin." Dillon left with another promise to paint my door the next morning.

I looked at Joe and saw anger dancing in his eyes. His fists were clenched, but his cop face was on. "I'll get Terry's fingerprints down to the station first thing in the morning. I'll let you know and I probably don't have to say it, but keep this quiet. I won't be saying anything to Terry until I've got the goods on her." He stood for a moment his only motion the clenching and unclenching of his right fist. If Ranger hadn't been standing quietly close by, Joe's reaction might have been different.

I closed the door behind Joe and ran my fingers through my tangle of curls. It had been a long day and I was ready for bed. "You can go now," I told Ranger.

"I'm not leaving, Babe." He turned and walked toward me.

"Yes, you are."

"I'm not leaving you alone tonight. This stalker thing doesn't feel right to me."

My eyes turned toward the sofa and Ranger said, "I'm not leaving you alone tonight and I'm not sleeping on the sofa. I can stay here or you can come to seven. Your choice."

"I'm not spending the night with you," I said emphatically. "I paid Albert thirty-five grand to get me divorced from you this morning and I'm not spending the night with you!"

I saw Ranger's eyes widen slightly and then without warning I was exposed to the full-on two hundred watt smile. "Babe, you never disappoint."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

A/N: The italicized flashback sequence is dialogue taken from Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Chapter 13

I spent the night on seven. I knew someone was going to be sleeping on the sofa and that someone would be me. Ranger's sofa was much comfier than mine. When we entered the apartment I walked straight into Ranger's bedroom and pulled the comforter off his bed. I grabbed a pillow and headed back to the living room. I wanted to be in Ranger's bed and there was no doubt he wanted me there. I was sleeping on the sofa because I was working really hard at being a grown-up, and it sucked.

I slept well, if not long. Ranger left the apartment early in the morning either to run or meet someone on the mats. Exercise was an unchangeable part of his day. I knew he'd be gone for a while and I used the opportunity afforded me. I went into his bathroom and looked longingly at the shower. It had been a long time, and I wanted to hop in and steam away my problems. That might create a bigger problem though so I hurriedly took care of morning business.

I took the elevator down, knowing I'd be more likely to run into Ranger on the stairs. I didn't have a plan on how to get home, but I was hoping I could come up with something other than helping myself to a RangeMan vehicle. That was my last choice. When I entered the garage I looked around to see no RangeMan personnel. I walked past a row of black SUVs considering my options and thought I saw motion in one.

I walked to the driver's window and saw my reflection. My hair was forming a wild halo around my head and it was scary. Looking beyond the reflection I saw something even scarier. A body! Then the body twitched and I saw that it was Lester asleep in the reclined seat, his legs crossed at the ankles and resting on the dash. I tapped on the window and he opened his eyes, jumping in the seat when he saw me. He rolled the window down and said, "Geez," then simultaneously we said, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm escaping," I said, "and I need a ride home."

He nodded to the passenger's door. "Hop in." I did and then I began my questioning.

"What are you doing sleeping the garage, Lester?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "It's a long story. Feel like breakfast?" We drove through Dunkin' Donuts and sat in the parking lot munching and drinking coffee. "Spill," I said. "Why were you sleeping in the garage?"

Lester took a sip of coffee and then looked at the floor when he spoke. "My grandpa and your grandma are driving me crazy. They're together all the time and when they're…" he shuddered, "doing 'it' they put a do not disturb sign on my door. And when I can come in they've got the furniture pushed back against the wall and they're dancing to music from the polka channel. The other day they were salsa dancing!" I couldn't help myself. I laughed out loud. Go Grandma, I thought.

"It's not funny, Stephanie! That do not disturb sign comes out about three times a day. I found a prescription bottle of Viagra in my medicine cabinet! I had to move in with Vince, but he was entertaining last night. I just gave up and slept in the SUV."

"I thought your grandpa was looking for a place to live," I said.

Lester nodded his head in agreement, "In theory he is. He just can't keep his pant's on long enough to go look. I'm taking the day off. I'm gonna find them a love nest of their very own."

He dropped me off at my apartment and I wished him good luck with his real estate search. I avoided the elevator and ran upstairs. Ranger wasn't the only one who exercised in the morning. Much to my amazement I found Dillon prepping my door for a new coat of paint. This was going to cost me at least a twelve-pack. I'd had him up late identifying my stalker and now he was here early removing the ugly evidence. He was protecting me in his own way from the prying eyes of my neighbors by cleaning up the door before most of them had a chance to see it. He was a good friend.

As I was getting ready to face the day, I became introspective. I had many good friends. Last night I added Rob Balestere to that list. I didn't see him as a potential lover, although I knew first hand he had the credentials. Tonight I had a dinner date with my old boss who indicated he wanted to make a closer connection with me. I was going to go and have fun and Ranger be damned! He couldn't disappear at a time of crisis and return and expect me to welcome him back with open arms.

I was ready to go and was out my door by nine. Dillon was just finishing up the paint job. I thanked him and made a mental note to stop for beer. We had a nice arrangement. I phoned Lula on my way to the office. "Are you ready for this?" I asked.

"Damn Skippy, I am! I'm lookin' forward to it. I'm running a little late though. I had an overnight guest and it kinda put me off my schedule. I'll be at the office in a half-hour."

"Who was your overnight guest?" I asked, knowing full well it had been Tank. "Bunchy?"

"Hell no," she said. I could mentally visualize the full body shiver she'd done. "Bunchy is Connie's man now and she's welcome to him. Tankie spent the evening with me. I told him we were going after Joyce today and he said RangeMan would help. I told him no way. We're looking forward to doing this on our own."

She was right. I couldn't remember being so excited to go after a skip in recent times. I arrived at the bonds office as Connie was leaving.

"Hi," she said. "Glad you're here. I won't have to lock up. I'm on my way to get donuts. I'll be right back." I went in and flopped on the Naugahyde sofa and waited for my second serving of donuts for the day.

Vinnie was not in the office and as I sat in the quiet space my mind returned to Ranger. When I'd lost the baby he left Trenton and I knew why, even if I didn't agree with his actions. I remembered the conversation we'd had at Mama Macaroni's funeral after I began sobbing uncontrollably.

_"The ceremony is over. Can you make it back to the car?"_

_I nodded. "I'm okay now. Am I red and blotchy from crying?"_

_"Yes," Ranger said, brushing a kiss across my forehead. "I love you anyway."_

_"There's all kinds of love," I said._

_Ranger took me by the hand and led me back to the SUV. "This is the kind that doesn't call for a ring. But a condom might come in handy."_

_"That's not love," I told him. "That's lust."_

_"In this case, there's some of both."_

_"Just not the marrying type?"_

_We'd reached the car, and Ranger remoted it open. "Look at me, Babe. I'm carrying two guns and a knife. At this point in my life, I'm not exactly family material."_

_"Do you think that will change?"_

_Ranger opened the door for me. "Not anytime soon."_

When he'd discovered my pregnancy he'd married me without hesitation. I knew in my heart it wasn't the same situation as Rachel. He was going to try to juggle a relationship and impending fatherhood with his lifestyle despite his reservations. And then we'd been attacked and I lost the baby. He left to protect me and maybe it had been as hard on him as it was on me. He was right. We had to talk.

The door to the bonds office swung open and my thoughts were pulled back to the present. Connie came in carrying a bag from the Tasty Pastry with Lula on her heels. Lula was dressed for action. She had a black track suit on with a row of sequins running up the sides of her pants. Her feet were encased in matching black runners with a pink swoosh on the side. Her rhinestone-studded pink head band completed the outfit. She wanted Joyce as much as I did. I knew we'd be successful.

"I don't understand why Joyce is so stupid," Lula said. "Being FTA could make her lose her BEA license and I thought she liked working for Vinnie."

"Joyce isn't thinking too clearly these days. She's in a lot of trouble." Connie took a bite of her donut before continuing. "She talked Vinnie into putting up the entire bond for her. She didn't have money for a deposit and she didn't want to use her house. She promised him 'rewards' and then she didn't deliver."

"You mean kinky sex?" Lula asked.

"That's what I mean. She didn't make good on her promise and Vinnie is pissed. And she's got bigger problems than that. She's run through her settlement from ex-husband number four and there is no ex-husband number five."

Knowing Joyce was down on her luck didn't make Lula and me any less eager to bring her in. We sat for a moment and planned our strategy.

Stake outs weren't fun anytime, but when you combined them with cold weather and hot coffee they were less enjoyable. We'd been sitting in the Cadillac across the street from Joyce's house waiting for her to leave. The minute she left her door we were going to charge and grab her.

We'd been in the car for two hours and it was approaching lunch. Lula had been wiggling and fidgeting in her seat for the last half hour. I knew what was coming.

"I'm hungry and I gotta pee."

I sighed and turned the ignition over. "There's a convenience store just around the corner. You run in and pee and I'll buy us some Tastykakes and hopefully we won't miss her. Then if she doesn't show we'll go knock on her door."

"That's a good idea," Lula said as I pulled away from the curb. "I need to get home early today 'cause Tank's coming over for supper."

"What about that problem you had with communication?" I asked.

"I learned communication goes both ways," she said. "Tank communicated to me Bunchy was a cop and I'm just showin' him my appreciation for the information."

We got in and out of the convenience store in a hurry and as I turned the corner I saw Joyce's blue Mercedes pulling out of her driveway. I didn't think she'd seen my latest vehicle, but I kept my distance. It became obvious she was headed to Pino's. She pulled her car in the lot and started walking to the entrance.

I pulled next to her and Lula and I hopped out. Lula pulled a huge handgun out of her purse and yelled, "Bond enforcement, don't move or I'll put a cap up your ass." Joyce took off running and I followed.

I heard the safety come off Lula's gun and I yelled, "No shooting!" Joyce turned with a gun in her hand and fired wildly and then continued to run for the door of Pino's. Unfortunately for her, she'd chosen to wear high-heeled boots and I was gaining on her. I leaped to tackle her from behind and we both hit the ground. Joyce's face hit the concrete with a loud crack. She rolled over and dug her inch-long acrylic nails into my shoulder. Slowly she worked her hands around my neck. I twisted and turned and tried to break her grip. No way was I going to be strangled by Joyce Barnhardt.

I heard Lula running up to help me. Suddenly Joyce was lifted off me and I got my first good look at her. She was missing the porcelain veneers on both her front teeth and her nose was bleeding. I realized my savior was Eddie Gazarra. He cuffed her and began mirandizing her immediately. He hauled her off while Lula and I stood speechlessly watching. He locked her in the back of his patrol car that was parked at the end of Pino's lot.

As he returned to Lula and me he was talking on his radio. I didn't know what he was saying or who he was saying it to, but I hoped my name wasn't being mentioned. He looked at Lula, "You were carrying that firearm in the open, isn't that right? And it is a legally registered weapon, isn't that right?"

Lula was sweating in spite of the cold day. She really had an issue with cops. "Uh, yeah. That's exactly right," she said.

Eddie looked over at me and then back at Lula. "Yeah, that's the way I saw it. I was sitting in my patrol car finishing up my meatball sub and a bullet tore through my windshield and about took my ear off. It lodged in my head-rest. Joyce is in a world of hurt. I'm charging her with public discharge of a weapon and attempted felony murder."

Lula and looked at each other in astonishment. Eddie continued, "I'll probably have to get statements from you two. And then you can go down and get your body receipt. You think Vinnie will be rebonding her?" Lula and I shook our heads no.

An hour and a half later we'd had lunch at Pino's and picked up the body receipt for Joyce. We ate mostly in stunned silence. As we headed into the bonds office Lula broke out in laughter. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"I said I was gonna put a cap up her ass and you knocked the caps outta her mouth. Seems kinda fittin' somehow." We walked into the bonds office and laid the body receipt on Connie's desk. Lula put her hand on Connie's shoulder and said, "Girl, do we have a story to tell you."

By the time I'd left the bonds office it was past mid-afternoon. Anthony was picking me up early as it was a little distance to the restaurant he'd chosen. I didn't know where we were going, but he promised it would be someplace special. I was looking forward to an evening of pleasant conversation.

I made a quick stop by the liquor store and headed for home. Dillon was grateful for the payment. As always he offered me a beer, but I declined. I was running behind schedule. I ran up the stairs to my apartment and stopped to admire my pristine door. As I entered my apartment I heard the ding indicating a new text. I pulled my phone from my pocketbook and saw I also had six missed calls. Four calls from Morelli and two from Ranger. The text was from Ranger simply saying 'call me'.

I returned the call to Ranger immediately.

"Yo."

"Hi, I'm sorry. My phone was on silent and I never thought to turn it back on. We had a little excitement, but we got Joyce."

"I heard, Babe. I'm in the middle of something and I can't talk, but have you talked to Morelli?"

"No, I just called you."

"I'll call you back as soon as I can, but you need to call Morelli. And, Babe, you need to cancel your date tonight. Gotta go." He disconnected.

I thought about that for a moment. Joe obviously wanted to talk to me about Terry. Terry was my stalker and I was no longer worried about my safety. Joe would make sure she didn't try anything else. The clock was ticking and Anthony was due to pick me up in an hour. I didn't want to get into a conversation with Joe. I pulled out my phone and texted him back, 'Talked to Ranger. I'll call you later.'

Fifty minutes later I was ready to go and strangely nervous. I took one last look in the mirror and groaned. I was wearing a simple black dress with a scoop neck line. My neck was encircled by obvious fingertip bruises. Joyce had left her mark. I ran back to the bedroom and found a gauzy black scarf and wrapped it around my neck. My hair was a mass of curls, for once minus the frizz. Even with the unplanned addition of the scarf I looked hot.

As I waited for Anthony to arrive I remembered Ranger's odd comment about calling off my date. And then I remembered the trackers on my car. I looked at my new pocketbook. What was lurking in there I wondered. I didn't know why Ranger was back and interested in my life at exactly the time I was trying to change my future. Tonight was not the night for trackers. I quickly hurried into my bedroom and found a small black evening bag. I removed my key from my keychain and placed it along with a twenty-dollar bill and my new lipstick in the bag. I was going to have my evening with an old friend and I was going to enjoy myself.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reviewing this story. Your suggestions and input are valued. I apologize to anyone who hasn't received response from me. FF and my e-mail aren't cooperating too well right now. If I've missed you, it was unintentional. All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 14

Anthony picked me up right on time and looked handsome in a blue suit. We headed north out of Trenton, our exact location still a secret from me. The conversation during the ride was pleasant ranging from old experiences we'd shared at E.E. Martin to the more recent trauma of his divorce.

After an hour we arrived at a quaint Victorian Inn. "This is Brightwell's," Anthony said. "Have you heard of it?" I shook my head no.

Anthony smiled, excited to find I was unaware of the establishment. "It's a functioning inn," he said, "but the reason we're here is the dining room was just voted most romantic place in New Jersey, and the restaurant has a five star rating. I wanted to give you a nice evening, Stephanie."

"Anthony, this is great," I said with enthusiasm. "I can't wait to see the menu!"

We were seated immediately at a secluded table. The dining room was lit with Victorian style gas lamps and the ambience was wonderful. I couldn't remember ever being in such an elegant space. Our conversation started in the car continued throughout the meal.

As we were waiting for the dessert cart Anthony turned to a personal subject. "I've not dated anyone since the divorce. This is the first date I've had and you've put me totally at ease. I'd like to see you again. You're not involved with anyone are you?"

Good question since I was legally married to and in love with Ranger. It was the second time he'd asked me if I was involved with anyone. "No, I'm not presently seeing anyone and I would like to see you again, Anthony, but right now I can't commit to anything more than a friendship." I pushed a curl behind my ear and heard his indrawn breath. He reached across the table to where I'd accidentally dislodged the scarf I was wearing. Joyce's handiwork was on full view for him to see.

"My word, Stephanie, what happened?"

I sighed, "Let me tell you a little about my post-lingerie buyer career." I told him about today's incident with Joyce as well as some of my other infamous exploits. Apparently I wasn't as notorious in Newark as I was in Trenton.

Anthony seemed shocked by my exploits. "I can't believe someone tried to kill you today," he said.

"I'm not sure she would've gone through with it," I said. "I think it was just the heat of the moment and I was just about to break her grip when Gazarra pulled her off me."

"This is uncomfortable for me, Stephanie, because I've just indicated that I have a personal interest in you and I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm going to say. There is a place for you at Baldicott. You don't have to put your life in danger to earn a living."

He had my attention. "What exactly do you mean 'a place'?" I asked. "Are you saying you'd find a job for me that would be safer than bond enforcement?" I didn't think I was putting my life on the line every day I worked as a BEA. Usually it was routine and I liked the freedom of choosing my own hours.

He smiled, "I think any job would be safer than bond enforcement, but I'm not talking about finding you a job. I have been thinking about offering you the directorship of my new lingerie boutique project. I was thinking about calling you when you called and asked to come see me the other day. I originally planned to ask Shirley Blanco as she's been a good assistant to me, but I, well, I'm looking for someone more elegant to head up this project."

"You think I'm elegant?" I asked surprise raising my eyebrows.

He grinned sheepishly. "I think you're special, Stephanie, so much so that I asked you out and now I have to convince you I'd been planning to talk to you about a job even if you hadn't called. I assure you that if you came to work for me any private life we had would be kept well out of the work place."

"I'd have to hear more about what the job entailed," I said. "It's been a while since I've been involved in the business world. It would take a bit to readjust my work style, not to mention my wardrobe!"

We talked until long after the Vanilla Crème Brûlée was a memory. "Would people be upset if you hired me instead of promoting someone from within?" I asked.

"I wanted to bring you with me from E.E. Martin, but my hands were tied. Shirley had the experience and the seniority and I had to offer her the position with Baldicott. She does a good job, but she never had the work ethic or enthusiasm you did. At first I thought about offering her this project, but it will require travel and a self-starting disposition and she seems to be content with her present position as my chief assistant."

I noticed the dining room was almost empty and looked across at Anthony. "It's getting late," I said, "and you've given me a lot to think about tonight. Maybe we should be going."

He reached across and took my hand. "We don't have to go home Stephanie, there's room at the inn. To be specific there's a room reserved in my name at this Inn. I'm not trying to be forward but I didn't know how this evening would end and I wanted to be prepared."

I was stunned. The man across from me was a kind, charming and trusted old friend. He was everything I needed to start out on a new life, but I hadn't made the transition to thinking about him as a potential lover. "I'm not ready for that step, Anthony. This has all taken me by storm. I haven't seen you for years and I'm having trouble realizing you're no longer the married man I knew. I think we'd better call it a night."

He gave in graciously and we began our trip home. I was quiet on the ride. I had a lot to think about. If I was going to leave Ranger behind, this was the perfect place to start. Anthony already had the requisite home in the suburbs. He was older than me, but not too old to be a father to the baby I so desperately longed for. It was as if little light bulbs flashed in my head. I didn't want to be a lingerie buyer or seller. I wanted the life I had now, but I wanted, even ached, for a child. When had this happened?

As we pulled into my parking lot I saw a black RangeMan SUV parked in the far corner. Anthony opened my door for me and wrapped his arms around me for a soft kiss. I knew was being watched by someone in the SUV. I was tempted to give my spy a little show, but out of respect for Anthony I maintained my composure. Two doors of the SUV opened at the same time. Joe Morelli got out of the passenger's door as Ranger got out of the driver's side. They started walking in tandem toward me.

I felt a little frisson of unexplainable fear run up my spine. "Stephanie?" Anthony questioned hesitantly.

"It's okay, Anthony," I said. "They're business associates of mine. You can go. I'll be safe." He looked relieved as he got in his car and drove away.

Joe spoke first, "What in the hell are you doing, Stephanie?" He advanced with arms flailing in a full Italian temper. "Where's your phone? Where's your ever present RangeMan tracker? Do you not have a brain in your head?" Ranger stayed quiet, eyeing Joe with a curious interest.

I flipped immediately into rhino mode. "Who do you think you are, Joe Morelli? And why do you think you can talk to me that way." I took in a deep breath getting ready to let round two fly.

The breeze picked up and I pulled my coat around me shivering in the cold. The scarf at my neck slipped loose and I heard Ranger's indrawn breath. He pulled a small mag light out of his jacket pocket and shined it on my neck. "What did that son of a bitch do to you?" he growled. His expression was fierce and I took a small step backward.

I self-consciously lifted my fingers to my neck. "He didn't do anything," I said. "This is left over damage from Joyce Barnhardt. Anthony was a perfect gentleman."

Ranger seemed to center himself and Joe was working hard at regaining his calm. Ranger looked at me and said, "You'll have to overlook our reactions, Babe. We've just spent six anxious hours looking for you while you went completely off-line and spent the evening with your stalker. It's cold out here. Let's go to your apartment and finish this conversation."

"Wait," I said. "What do you mean, my stalker? Terry is my stalker…right?"

Joe took one arm and Ranger the other and they pulled me out of the parking lot and into the building. There were times when Morelli and Ranger worked well as a team and then there were times when they wanted to kill each other. Tonight was obviously a team night. We entered my apartment this time using my key. Coats were removed and piled on the dining room table. Joe went to the kitchen and prepared coffee while Ranger sat unmoving in the arm-chair watching me try to control my nerves. Something was very wrong here.

Joe came in and handed me and Ranger a cup of coffee. He pulled a chair in from the dining room and positioned it equi-distant from Ranger and me. I plopped on the sofa and waited for whatever was going on to be explained to me. Joe straddled the chair and took a sip of his coffee. He looked from me to Ranger. Ranger nodded and Joe began to speak.

"Terry's fingerprints don't match the fingerprints found on your door, but the fingerprints taken from your door do match the partial print found on your E.E. Martin business card."

"I don't understand," I said. "Of course they're Terry's. Dillon identified her and so did Mrs. Bestler."

"Cupcake, just listen," Joe said, his expression tense. "Vito Grizolli and Anthony Fenoglio's father, Salvatore, are best friends. Vito was instrumental in Anthony getting his job with E.E. Martin in the first place. Seems Anthony didn't have the stomach for the family business and wanted a more pedestrian lifestyle. Terry and Anthony were raised together, almost like siblings. Terry is a quite a few years younger than Anthony and she always looked up to him like an older brother."

"How long have you known this?" I asked Joe.

"Since I found out her prints weren't the ones we were looking for this morning. I confronted her with the information we got from Mrs. Bestler and Dillon." I looked over at Ranger who remained motionless and silent, quietly listening to the exchange between Joe and myself.

"Stephanie, I know very little about your time with E.E. Martin. Were you romantically involved with Anthony?"

"No, I was involved with Dickie," I exclaimed. "Anthony was a married man and my boss. When everything fell apart with Dickie, Anthony was good support for me. But there was nothing between us."

"About six months ago Terry and I were at her uncle's house," Joe continued, "and I met Fenoglio. He asked me if I was the same Joe Morelli that you'd been involved with. I thought that was an odd question, but he explained he used to work with you and I didn't think any more about it. He began calling Terry every so often to see if she and I were still together. He confided to her that he was in love with you and asked for her help."

"He asked Terry to stalk me?" I asked, truly confused.

"He told Terry he wanted to court you in an old fashioned way. He wanted to be your secret admirer. He asked her to place a letter in your mailbox and then place a padded envelope by your door. She thought she was delivering love poems and lingerie. She had it partly right."

"Why would she do such a thing?" I exclaimed. "That's crazy."

"Terry was inclined to do it because she's fond of Anthony and because…well, she wanted you to be in a relationship with someone. She was worried you and I might reconnect." I shot a sideways glance toward Ranger. The blank face was in full show.

"How did Anthony know that you and I had ever been together?" I asked. "I was far removed from that part of my life when you entered it."

"I don't know," Joe said. "I don't know if you told him or if he stalked you to find out. This may have been going on almost from the time of his divorce."

"I didn't even know about his divorce," I said. "The only time I've seen him since I was fired was one night when I was going out to dinner with Connie. He was still with his wife. I may have mentioned to him then that I was seeing someone else. He was so kind to me after Dickie that I might have wanted him to know things were better. But I still don't understand, why would he try to scare me with the stabbed underwear if he was hoping we'd be lovers?"

Joe and Ranger shared a quick glance, then Joe said, "Lovers?"

"Yes," I said emphatically. "Lovers. He's very gentle and still wounded by his wife's betrayal. He asked me to stay with him tonight. He is not very experienced with other women as most of his life has been spent with just one woman. I told him I thought it was just a little too soon and when I refused he was not insistent. He brought me straight home."

I saw Ranger's eyes surveying my bruises and I readjusted the scarf. "He was a perfect gentleman," I said. "When he saw these bruises he offered me a job, a very good job, working for Baldicott. He wants me to be safe."

"That's hard to believe," Ranger said, "when it appears he's the one putting you in danger."

"Ranger and I think there's a third party involved," Joe said. "Terry claims she knew nothing about any threat to you and I believe her. She thought she was just delivering gifts to you. She brought the bag into your apartment because it was the only one that wasn't in a padded envelope and she was able to look inside and see the quality of the garment. She didn't want to leave it in the hallway and she ran into Mrs. Bestler who offered to let her in."

I looked at Joe. The tension in his face alerted me to what was coming. I'd sensed many months ago that the same sexual tension buzzing between Ranger and me also buzzed between Terry and Joe. He'd said as much to me recently when he tried to warn me away from Ranger.

"Stephanie, I have to tell you. You can press charges against Terry for stalking and trespassing." There was silence in the room.

"Do you believe what she told you, Joe?"

He nodded his head, "I do."

"Then I won't press charges, but I have to figure out what is going on with Anthony." I saw Joe's expression loosen, the tightness leaving his jaw. He stood and put the chair back in the dining room and walked into the kitchen setting his cup in the sink. His familiarity with my apartment made me think of times in the past. When I looked at his face I could see gratitude and knew he was in love with Terry. He'd picked a hard road and I wished him well.

"I can contact the Newark police for you since that's where Fenoglio resides and works. They can handle that end of the investigation. We will keep on it here. For now you need to stay far, far away from Fenoglio. His sudden concern for your safety and his offer of a job seems a little fishy to me. I'll have someone on him tomorrow and we'll see what we can get out of him."

Ranger looked up at Joe. "Give us a couple of days, Morelli. RangeMan can look into this and we'll turn over anything we find to the police. I give you my word."

"I'm looking into it!" I said. "He's stalking me. I can take care of this myself. I won't get in the way of the police, but I'm going to find out what Anthony's role in this mess is." I shot a glance at Ranger and continued, "I don't need any help. I've been getting along just fine on my own for a while now."

Joe walked over to me and ruffled my hair. "I'll let the two of you fight this one out." He put his fingers under my chin and lifted my gaze to his. "You're sure Cupcake, about not pressing charges?"

I nodded my head. Once again there was silence in the room as Joe picked up his coat and walked out. I turned to Ranger, "He was with you, how will he get home?"

"He's a big boy, Babe. He'll find a way." He rose from his chair and came to take my coffee cup from my hands. He walked into the kitchen to set the cups on the counter and returned to pull me up from the sofa. His arms came around me and his lips found mine, but I turned my head to the side to break the contact.

"Where are we staying tonight, Babe? Your place or mine? I'm not leaving you alone as long as your stalker is on the loose." He took my face in his hands and drew me toward him. This time his lips found their mark. Softly, insistently, he moved his mouth back and forth over mine until I capitulated with a groan of frustration and desire. I opened my mouth to take him inside. We stood kissing, making love with our tongues and then I felt him shift his body against mine and slowly move me backward.

I pulled away, "Ranger, we can't do this. We _have _to talk!"

"We can do this, Babe, and we'll talk tomorrow." His mouth came back over mine and we began a slow dance toward the bedroom.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 15

Slow steps interspersed by kisses brought me to the edge of my bed. The scarf I'd tossed around my neck was missing and Ranger tenderly kissed each mark Joyce had made. The soft sounds of his kisses echoed in the silence of the room.

His hands slid around my shoulders and found the zipper at the back of my dress. I moved closer to him to make the job easier. I lifted my leg and ran it along the side of his thigh trying to press my body even more closely against him. There was a soft pop and a small tickle ran down my inner thigh. I pulled back and looked down at the now laddered panty hose worn to defray the New Jersey winter and suddenly I pulled away.

"Ranger," I moaned. "Wait, we have to talk. I'm divorcing you. We can't do this." I wanted to do 'this' so bad I was almost crying.

His hand stilled on the back of my dress. He didn't let go of me or let me pull any further away.

"Why?" he asked softly, the breath of his voice as soft on the skin of my neck as velvet. "Why are you divorcing me?"

"You left me," I said. "I was at the lowest point of my life and I was alone. What resulted from that is simple. I need to make changes in my life. I want, I ache for another child. I know our baby was a mistake…"

He put his hand to my lips. "It was not a mistake. It was a surprise, and I don't handle surprises very well, even ones I'm responsible for."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "I know why you did what you did. I know you left to keep me safe and, as much as I want you right now, I have to do what's best for me, for my life."

"What's best for you, Babe?"

"What's best is to make the changes I have to make, so I can have what I want."

"Is that what this rash of dating is all about?" Ranger asked. I nodded even as I raised my head to allow his lips access to my neck. What was wrong with me? I couldn't back away.

"What changes, Stephanie?" His tongue traced a path over the sensitive cords of my throat and followed my collar-bone to the neck of my dress. I moaned. "How are you going to change your life, Babe?"

"I'm going to find someone normal, someone to be a father to my child."

Ranger laughed harshly. "Someone normal like a male stripper or an aging stalker?" he asked softly.

My growing passion took a nose dive, and anger started to sizzle. "Yes," I said. "I obviously haven't found the right person, but I will."

"Morelli?" he questioned. "He's with Terry Gilman, but that may not last through this stalker mess. He still cares about you."

"I care about Morelli. I love Morelli, in a way, but there will never be anything between us again. I don't want a Morelli baby."

"But you do want the child of a mob-related stalker? Or the child of an excessively hung male dancer?"

"Yes," I said. "No…I don't know. I want a normal life."

"No, Babe, you don't. You like your life just as it is now. You need to be honest with yourself. You had months to change your life and you changed nothing, except, maybe, to take your job more seriously. You seem to have improved at bond enforcement."

My anger erupted quickly and I pulled myself completely away from him. "Don't you taunt me," I shouted. "You haven't done such a good job of working toward what you want."

"What do you think I want, Stephanie?"

"You wanted me out of your life so you left, but you couldn't stay away. Now you're back and you want me, but only for the sex and I can't work that way. You want to take care of your responsibilities. You wanted to take care of me and my baby like you took care of Rachel and Julie, and now, Ranger, I think you want me naked. I think you have an itch and you want to scratch it!"

He came at me so quickly I couldn't get away. He backed me against the wall trapping me with his body, which was in contact with mine from knees to chest. His arms were against the wall on either side of me immobilizing me completely.

"You're right," he said. "I do want you, but I never wanted you out of my life. I went away to keep you safe. But I've thought about it and going away was not the answer. I can't stay away from you. I've had a change of plans. You like your life, Stephanie, and you shouldn't have to change it to have what you want." He ground his pelvis suggestively into mine. I felt him hard against me. The slow burn started again in my belly. He was so close I could feel his heart beat.

"I want you more than I've ever wanted anything else in my life. I wanted you for the sex and I had you for the sex. And then I realized I wanted you for every part of you. I need you in my life. Babe, I love you and I make you this vow. I won't give you a normal life. If necessary, I will lay down my life, to keep you safe."

He pulled his face back from mine. His eyes scanned my face, moving up from my lips and meeting my gaze directly. "And most importantly…I will give you babies."

My heart caught in my throat as he pulled me from the wall, lowered the zipper and let my dress puddle at my feet.

He cradled my face in his hands and his eyes darkened with passion. And then there was the hint of a smile. "Babe, are we done talking?"

I nodded and brought his mouth down to mine.

My shoes had been lost in the living room so he went straight to work on my bra and pantyhose. I was naked and trembling with desire as I watched him peel his clothes from his body. We came together, skin against skin, and fell to the bed and within moments all thoughts of divorce were gone.

I awoke hours later to hear the soft sound of Ranger's breathing. Our bodies were entangled in each other and the covers. The bedroom was cold and I snuggled closer to him for warmth. Physically, I was satiated. Emotionally, I was in shock. For months I had lived with the pain of losing Ranger. I reached out to stroke my hand along the velvety smooth contours of his back, reassuring myself he was still with me.

"I'm not leaving you ever, Babe," he whispered, as his arms once again came around me.

The next time I awoke it was daylight. I looked up to see Ranger, half dressed and standing at the foot of my bed.

"Rise and shine, Stephanie," he said. "We have a busy day."

"Mmmph," I said, and rolled over, pulling the covers up over my shoulders. I was still naked and not used to waking up that way. Much to my surprise, I felt self-conscious having Ranger, my husband, my lover, staring at me with unreadable eyes.

"Come on, Babe," he said, as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I have a surprise for you, but it's waiting at RangeMan."

I opened one eye and rolled over on my back leaving the covers pulled up under my chin. "A surprise?" I asked.

I got the full on smile and opened the other eye to better appreciate it. He ruffled my massively out of control curls. "Get up, and get showered and dressed. You'll like my surprise."

"What if I just got dressed and then showered at your apartment?" I asked thinking he had more hot water and Bulgari.

"Our apartment." I sat up and threw my arms around him, forgetting to be self-conscious about my nakedness. His arms came around me and in the end we showered together in my small and outdated bathroom.

I dressed for the day in my usual outfit of jeans, pairing them with a high-necked sweater to hide the worst of Joyce's marks. Before we left the apartment Ranger turned and asked, "Where's your wedding ring?"

I opened the top drawer of my dresser. I reached in the back and pulled out a small folded envelope and handed it to him. He opened it and the thin platinum band slid out onto his palm. Taking my hand in his, he slipped it on the fourth finger of my left hand. "Forever, Babe."

We arrived at Haywood and went straight to seven without seeing or speaking to anyone. Ranger led me into the bedroom and I waited not wanting to show any curiosity. He disappeared into his closet for a few minutes and came out wearing a fresh RangeMan uniform of black cargos and t-shirt. He had a small black box in his hand.

"It was still at the jewelers the day we were married," he said as he flipped the lid of the box open. Inside was a large square cut diamond solitaire flanked by sapphires set low into a platinum band. He removed it from the box and slipped it on my finger where it nestled perfectly against the wedding band.

There was a second platinum band remaining in the box. I took it out and solemnly slipped it on his finger, and tears slid from my eyes, gathering momentum as they rolled down my cheeks. A streak of mascara marked the back of my hand where I wiped them away. I flung myself against his chest with such force we fell backwards on the bed where we stayed, holding one another enjoying the closeness, until we were interrupted by the loud growl of my stomach.

"We need fuel," Ranger said. "We have a busy day and you need to be prepared for every part of it." He pulled me up and we went to the kitchen to forage for breakfast. As we sat at the bar eating bagels with cream cheese and fresh fruit, Ranger asked casually, "Do you want a wedding, Stephanie?"

I thought for a moment. "We had one," I said. "What I want is you, and as long as I have you I don't need any more ceremonies."

"In that case," he said, "we'd better go visit your brother-in-law."

Albert's office was the first stop of the day. He was surprised to see us when we came in, Ranger's hand loosely clasping mine. He didn't say anything at first, just opened his desk drawer and handed me an envelope.

"It's the check you wrote me, Stephanie," he explained. "It was way too much money and you're family. I would never charge you anyway. I guess congratulations are in order," he said extending his hand to Ranger. They shook hands and Albert's cheeks flushed. "Is it still a secret?"

"Only for a short while longer," Ranger said. "You can understand we want to tell our families ourselves. We appreciate your professionalism, Albert. We're family as you said, and I was wondering if you'd be open to the possibilities of doing some legal work for RangeMan."

"Well, yes, but," Albert hesitated. "I'm more of a personal attorney and I don't really specialize in corporate law."

"I'm looking for someone to keep on retainer for the employees to use when they need legal help. Would you be interested in something of that nature?" Albert beamed, nodding vigorously.

"I'll send Tank over in the next few days to get something set up." They shook hands again and I let myself be led out of Albert's office and into the sunny, cold winter morning.

"That was very generous of you," I said. "I know he could use the business and I think he's competent."

"Just starting as I mean to continue. I'm serious about forever. He stopped on the sidewalk and drew me into his arms for a short impassioned kiss.

"I knew this was too good to be true," I mumbled.

"Babe?"

"Telling our families," I said. "I don't want to spoil this day."

"We're not spoiling anything. We'll tell your parents today and I'll phone my family. I'll give you a little time to get used to the idea of them before I foist them on you."

"Will they be happy?" I asked.

"They will be very happy," he said. "My mother and grandmother have been praying rosaries for my salvation for years, and when they meet you they will know you are my salvation." He leaned across the console of the Porsche and gave me a kiss that made me positive we should head straight back to seven. Instead, we turned toward the Burg.

"Ranger, I don't want to do this." I said in a rush. He looked over at me as I continued, "I've been given the best gift of my life. You and I are together. That's enough. I don't want to share you with anyone. Let's go back to seven."

"Babe," he pulled the car to the curb and looked over at me. "We have to do this. It will be hanging over us until it's done. Let's tell your family and get it over with. You can tell Morelli, or not. That's entirely up to you. Then we are going to talk to Fenoglio. I'm trying to clear our slate so we can have some real time alone."

I sighed. He was right. It was better to get it over with. "Drive on," I said in a resigned voice.

My grandmother was waiting at the door. I didn't know if it was lack of anything better to do or an awareness I was near that drew her there. She was visibly excited to see Ranger and me exit the car. She opened the door and waved her hand at us.

"Your mother's been trying to call you all morning," she exclaimed. I guiltily remembered my phone on my kitchen counter.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Grandma's hand continued a frenzied wave and a sudden flash of light exploding in a rainbow of colors gave me my first hint of the answer. I took off running toward the door. Sparkling wildly on the fourth finger of Grandma's left hand was one big ass diamond solitaire.

"Grandma!" I exclaimed. "Osbaldo?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "And it ain't no cubic zirconium either." As I held her hand examining her ring she suddenly turned my hand over. She looked at my ring and threw her arms around me.

"You and Ranger?" she asked. I nodded. "Well, ain't that a pip!"

"I'll tell you the details later," I said, "after I hear all your news."

Ranger stood behind us looking totally perplexed. I turned to him. "Grandma is engaged to Osbaldo!"

My mother appeared at the door. "Come in, Stephanie. Hello, Carlos. It's nice to see you." She pulled my grandmother out of the way and ushered us into the living room. My father was sitting in his favorite chair with a huge smile on his face. The TV was off. He was obviously taking the news well.

"We got a wedding date and everything," Grandma said. "We got the PNA hall reserved and your mother is going to be my matron-of-honor. You and Valerie are going to be my junior bridesmaids!" I began to realize what a gift I'd been given. In light of this news, Ranger's and my announcement would fly right under the radar…I thought.

Grandma couldn't be contained. "Helen, look!" she said. She lifted my hand for my mother's inspection.

"Oh!" my mom said as she held her own hand to her breast. Ranger, who'd been silently watching the scene unfold, stepped forward.

"Stephanie and I came here to share our happy news with you and it seems we are only part of the story of the day." Poor Ranger. He was trying to approach this from a logical perspective and I knew it wouldn't work.

"Ranger and I got married almost eight months ago," I blurted out. "He had to leave right after the wedding so we decided to keep everything a secret until he was back." I turned to Grandma. "I'm sorry, Grandma, I didn't mean to upstage your news."

"You didn't upstage anything Stephanie," she said. "This is a day for a big celebration. Osbaldo is on his way over. We're gonna party like it's 1999!" There was silence as no one really knew how to respond.

My mom was trying to regain control of the situation. "You've been married for eight months?"

"Yes," I said.

"Who knows about this?" she asked. "Does Joseph know?"

"Joe knows we're together, but he doesn't know we're married. We came here to tell you first."

"Where were you married? Are you going to have a reception?" My mom continued her questioning.

"We were married at the courthouse by a friend of Ranger's who is a judge. We will be telling Ranger's family later this week, and no, we won't have a reception."

"We would, however," Ranger said, "like to help with Edna and Osbaldo's wedding and reception." Instantly my mother felt better. The chaos continued with my father getting up from his chair to shake Ranger's hand and give me a hug. His day was getting better and better. Ranger's offer to help with the wedding was understood clearly by everyone. We wouldn't be hanging Japanese lanterns and decorating the PNA hall. Ranger would be writing a check and that was okay with my mom and dad.

As we left the house a long half hour later, I turned to Ranger and said, "Welcome to the Plum family." He didn't answer. He just helped me into the Turbo and headed off in a direction that was familiar to me.

"You're taking me to the Tasty Pastry?" I asked.

"Babe, I need a donut."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 16

I turned to Ranger as we stood in the lobby of Baldicott, Inc. "I think I should go in and see Anthony alone," I said. "He'll be more comfortable talking to me if you're not looming over us."

"I don't loom, Babe, and you're not going in there alone."

"Ranger, this could be awkward. I was on a date with this man less than twenty-four hours ago."

"If you're uncomfortable, Stephanie, stay here in the lobby and I'll talk to him without you."

"No way." I walked to the receptionist and asked to speak to Anthony.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked.

"No, but if you say it's Stephanie Plum he'll see me."

She made a call and then looked up at me. "I'm sorry, Ms. Plum, but he's out of the office. He's due back shortly if you'd like to wait."

"Thanks," I said and we settled ourselves into a loveseat, sitting close and enjoying the contact. I looked up to see a woman walk past an open doorway and continue down an internal hall. I jumped from the sofa and crossed the room.

"Shirley!" I called. The woman halted and spun around. The startled look on her face was masked quickly by a smile. She came into the lobby and gave me a hug.

"Stephanie, it's been years!" She stepped away quickly and looked at Ranger giving him a brief nod. "I heard you came to visit Anthony the other day. I was sorry to have missed you. What brings you back?"

"Shirley, let me introduce you to my, uh…partner, Carlos Mañoso. Carlos is the CEO of RangeMan Security. Carlos, this is Shirley Blanco. We worked together at E.E. Martin. She moved to Baldicott with Anthony when they bought us out."

Ranger stood and they shook hands, Shirley pulling hers away as soon as socially acceptable. She seemed nervous, but sometimes Ranger had that effect on people. "We're here to talk to Anthony," I told her.

"He stepped out momentarily. He should be back soon," she said echoing the words of the receptionist. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'm just here to see Anthony," I said. "It's kind of personal. The receptionist said he won't be long so we'll just wait."

"You said you're in security," she said. "Are you trying to sell Anthony a security system?"

"No," I said. "Actually I'm here to see him about lingerie." Shirley Blanco took a sudden step backwards and her hand flew to her throat in a nervous gesture. The expression on her face showed a brief moment of alarm before she regained her composure. She ran her fingers through her short dark hair and took a deep breath to compose herself. Physically she looked much the same as when we were co-workers. She wore a simple black suit with moderately heeled black pumps. Her jewelry consisted of a plain gold chain and gold hoops. Shirley was a model of the well dressed business woman.

It had been several years since we'd seen each other, but we'd parted as friends, or at least on friendly terms. This woman was acting anything but pleased to see me. I was confused. Emotionally, she was a wreck. Her hands were twisting around a fountain pen and there was the beginning of a small eye twitch. Something was seriously wrong with her.

"I'm sure Anthony will be back soon," Shirley said. "Why don't I take you into his office. You'll be more comfortable there." Ranger had been silently watching the exchange between Shirley and me. He followed me as Shirley led us out of the lobby toward Anthony's office.

As we entered Anthony's office Shirley's eyes fell to the manila envelope in Ranger's hand. Her eyes widened and the Mont Blanc pen she'd been rolling through her nervous fingers dropped onto Anthony's desk. "I'll make sure Anthony knows you're here." She practically ran from the office.

I turned to Ranger. "What in the world was wrong with her?" I asked. "She was off her rocker. She used to be the picture of a calm and efficient buyer. Anthony told me he'd made her his chief assistant because she was so quietly competent."

"I don't know for sure," Ranger said, "but I'm betting we'll have a better idea after we talk to Fenoglio."

We didn't have to wait long. Anthony came into his office a short five minutes later. He seemed surprised to see Ranger, but shook his hand politely and then turned to me. "Are you here to talk about the position I offered you, Stephanie?" He had a hopeful look on his face. I felt bad because even though it was very likely he was my stalker, I knew the information we were going to share with him would be painful for him.

"Anthony, Carlos and I have something to discuss with you. I have a stalker. Someone has been sending me lingerie, beautiful lingerie, and they've been sending it anonymously."

Anthony's face flushed as Ranger pulled copies of the photo-shopped pictures from the envelope and laid them on the desk.

"I'm embarrassed you found out. I'd hardly call it stalking though. I just, well it was just a silly way of flirting. I thought, eventually, if we got together I'd confess it was me and, oh my…" His face paled and his voice trailed off as he picked up the photo of my face pasted onto a body of stab wounds. His hand trembled as he looked at the page. "I don't understand," he said. "What is this?"

"Are you saying you're not responsible for this?" I asked him.

"No!" He shook his head unbelievably. "I sent you some gifts, but not this." His hands sorted through the photos, separating the earlier lingerie shots from the last ones I'd received. "Who did this?" he asked.

"We think you might be able to help us find out," Ranger said. "We've done a little investigating on our own and we know of your involvement with Terry Gilman. Do you think she's responsible?"

Anthony sunk into his desk chair resting his head in his hands. I thought he was on the verge of tears.

"No, I can't think Terry would do this. Terry agreed to help me with this because she's an old family friend. I'm not sure she thought it was the best idea. She's a straightforward person and she didn't understand my lack of confidence after my wife left me. I felt I needed a device to reestablish my friendship with you, Stephanie, and she helped me."

"Is there anyone else," Ranger asked, "who might have been party to what was going on?" Anthony looked up, awareness in his eyes.

"Yes. Several months ago when I first started working on an idea for a premium lingerie boutique I confided to Shirley, my assistant, that I had a desire to see you socially, Stephanie. I didn't have any reason to contact you so I decided to play what I thought was a silly game. I photo-shopped the pictures from lingerie catalogs and then sent you the gifts. Shirley said she had a picture of you and put your head over the model's. It started out as a onetime gift. Just a silly romantic little prank and then I sent several more."

There were beads of sweat on Anthony's forehead and in spite of myself I felt sorry for him. Ranger had amazingly become a quiet, non-threatening part of the conversation. I knew he thought Anthony was a fool, but it didn't show in his demeanor.

"I didn't want you to make a connection to me until I was ready to approach you," Anthony continued. "I thought when you found out you'd be pleased and it would give us something to talk about. I knew you'd love the lingerie. You always had an eye for quality. That's what was so frustrating about E.E. Martin. We didn't exactly deal in quality."

"Anyway," he continued, staring at a spot above my head, "I hit upon the idea of using Terry as a delivery girl since she knew you. She was willing to go along with the idea because she thought it would be good for you and me to be together, but she didn't want her involvement to be known so to make it more of a secret I went to Shirley for help. I told her I was sending you gifts as a secret admirer. She agreed to address envelopes for me, both the letter envelopes and the packages, and she volunteered to deliver them to Terry. So I let her."

"What about the _La Perla _gift?" I asked. "Terry brought it into my apartment. Why did you quit using the padded envelopes?"

Anthony glanced at Ranger as if wondering for the first time what his role was. "The _La Perla _gift was not from the boutique collection. I purchased it myself. I was starting to have second thoughts about the secret admirer aspect. It seemed somehow kind of juvenile. I didn't have an envelope from Shirley to put it in and Terry took it without one. I didn't know how she got it to you. I was going to contact you and confess everything, but then you called me. "

Anthony's gaze fell to his desk. His hands ran over the photocopies of the women in the stabbed underwear as well as the picture of the naked corpse. He read the warning scrawled on the picture, 'Stay away from him. He isn't the one for you.' He looked briefly at me and then Ranger. "I didn't do this. Is it talking about me? Is it saying I'm not the one for you?"

"I don't know," I said. "The reason I called you the other day," I told him, "is because there was an old business card of mine from E.E. Martin included with this picture. I didn't save any of my cards and I was trying to find out where it might have come from."

"Shirley and I were the last two left in the office at E.E. Martin," Anthony said. "It had to be her. But I don't understand why she would do this."

"I think she feels more for you than you might realize," I said. "Maybe she wasn't as happy about helping you with your plan as you thought."

"We need to talk to Shirley," Ranger said. "Can you get her in here?"

Anthony picked up his phone and placed a call. A frown marred his forehead and he hung up. "She didn't answer. Let me go get her."

He got up from his chair and left the office to return a few minutes later with bad news. "My receptionist said Shirley ran out of the office shortly after she seated the two of you in here."

Ranger stood. "I need Shirley's address and home contact as well as a cell number and any other personal information you can give us."

Anthony stood and seemed to find his dignity. He wouldn't look me in the eye, but he faced Ranger and said, "I've known Shirley a long time and I don't think she's capable of doing any actual violence, but I'll cooperate fully with you."

A few minutes later we were sitting in the Porsche. The engine was running and the heat was on high. It was sunny, but the wind was blowing and the winter day had turned bitterly cold. Ranger's hand was caressing the back of my neck as I sat quietly assimilating everything I'd learned. Shirley Blanco had been making threats to me. I thought I might know why but we couldn't be sure until we talked to her. I didn't know if she would confess to being in love with Anthony or not. Ranger pulled out his phone and called Tank.

"I want this woman found and found quickly," he said. He gave the information to Tank and then continued, "Send Lester and Hal, and if they can't find her put two more men on it. I want this woman soon. She might run; she was on edge earlier today." He listened again and then disconnected.

"Tank said Lula is going crazy trying to get a hold of you," he told me. He handed me his phone and I dialed her number.

"Am I talking to Batman?" Lula demanded

"No. It's me. What's up?"

"What you doin' with Batman? We need you down here. You won't believe what me and Connie seen this afternoon. We seen Terry Gilman and Mooch and they was having a huge fight. And you gotta come down here 'cause Vinnie is making noise about rebonding Joyce and you gotta talk him outta that."

"I don't think I'm going to make it in today," I said. "There's been a development with my stalker. Ranger and Morelli are sort of working together on this. What's the deal with Vinnie? Joyce isn't going to be able to post bond if she's charged with attempted murder."

"They dropped the attempted murder charge and now her bond is doable," she told me. "He's going to take her to the dentist and get her teeth fixed. I think she might be lookin' at Vinnie as her next ex-husband."

"Well, if Lucille finds out, Joyce'll have more than missing teeth to worry about." I looked over to see Ranger pull a tissue wrapped package out of his jacket pocket. "Lula, I've got to go. I'll be in first thing in the morning. I have some stuff to tell you and Connie."

"I'll say you do," Lula agreed. "We're still waiting to hear about your three dates."

"Well, you're in luck. I'm in the mood to talk about all three and I'll bring donuts." I disconnected and turned to see what Ranger was holding.

He carefully pulled the tissue layers away to reveal the Mont Blanc pen Shirley had dropped in Anthony's office. "I'm thinking we may have identified the partial fingerprint on your business card and I'm betting the pen is a match to the ink on the envelopes." He carefully rewrapped the pen and put it back in his pocket. "I'll have Howdy meet us at your apartment. You can pack a bag for tonight and then tomorrow, Babe, you're moving to seven, permanently. I'll take this pen to Morelli and then meet you at the apartment. I'll call Ella and have her bring up dinner and then we'll have an early evening."

His eyes dropped to my lips and I felt my nipples stand at attention. Ranger had only to look and my body responded. I was all for an early night.

Howdy met us at my apartment and I packed in record time. I was in a hurry to get to seven. When I did walk through the door to Ranger's…our apartment, I was disappointed. I was alone. I dumped my quickly packed possessions on the floor of the bedroom and made a snap decision. Unpacking could wait until later. The shower was calling.

Two minutes later I was standing under a stream of deliciously warm water, inhaling Bulgari scented foam as I slowly washed the day's cares from my body. Being married to Ranger would mean lots of changes and his shower was one I'd adjust to quickly. I felt a cool draft of air. Ranger stepped in behind me and wrapped his arms around me. There was the skittering of electricity that always accompanied his presence, and there was more. There was the tiniest seed of burgeoning joy. I turned around and pressed my wet soapy body against his slowly walking him against the wall of the shower. I was going to welcome my husband home.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

**Portions of italicized flashbacks are taken from Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich **

Chapter 17

The dinner Ella left for us was, as always, wonderful. Ella was one of the few people who'd been aware of the pregnancy. I suspect she was also aware of the marriage, but I hadn't asked Ranger. She always included dessert for me and tonight was no exception. She had included a serving for Ranger as well and dessert looked suspiciously like wedding cake.

We ate in an easy silence sharing smiles and occasional touches. I was remembering our lovemaking after the shower and before the dinner and I was hoping there would be more lovemaking later. I was pretty sure Ranger was thinking along the same lines.

As I picked up a forkful of cake, I asked, "Is this wedding cake?"

"I think it is, Babe. It's Ella's way of saying welcome to you." He took a forkful of cake and held it toward me. I opened my mouth and in an unusually playful mood he smeared it on my nose. I scooped up a piece of cake in my hand and rubbed it across his lips. I lunged forward and licked it off his face. We were kissing and cake was flying and it was fun. It was more than fun. It was erotic. It was cake and Ranger and I couldn't tell where one wonderful taste sensation ended and the other began.

After a while, Ranger reluctantly pulled away from me. "Babe, I have to go down to five for awhile. I was out of the office all day and I have a couple of things to take care of. And I want to check with Tank. No news isn't good news regarding Shirley Blanco. Do you want to come down with me?"

"No," I said. "I'll stay here. I have some unpacking to do and I want to call my grandma to hear about the wedding plans."

"Babe, your grandma is probably down on four. I don't think Osbaldo has found a place to live yet." I smiled remembering Lester's vow to find them their own love nest.

After Ranger left I quickly cleaned up our dinner mess and called Ella to thank her for the cake. She came to the apartment and took away the dishes, but not before giving me a big hug.

I wandered into the bedroom and began unpacking the few things I'd brought with me. I'd stayed with Ranger before, but in the recent months I'd been totally absent. It was, in some ways, unbelievable we were together when just a few days ago I was sure it would never happen.

I laid on the bed in my thinking position and remembered the words Ranger and I'd had after we'd made love that very first time.

_"I can't do this," I said, "This isn't going to work."_

_"I know," Ranger said. "You need to repair your relationship with Morelli. I'm being a good guy right now because it suits my purposes, but I'm an opportunist, and I'm attracted to you. And I'll be back in your bed if the Morelli time-out goes on for too long. I could make you forget Morelli if I put my mind to it. That wouldn't be good for either of us."_

We thought we could walk away from the feelings we'd had for each other and we'd both tried. Ultimately we couldn't do it, and trying to walk away had hurt us both. I was happy we'd given in to what we felt for one another and I was happy to be moving forward. But I was worried too. There was no plan for our future. Life for us would happen just as it did, and I hoped we'd both be up to the challenges we were bound to face.

My phone woke me up and I rolled off the bed to find it in the bottom of my pocketbook. It was Morelli. "Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm staying with Ranger, Joe. It's a complicated story, but we're together." There was a moment's silence.

"Together?"

"Yes," I said. "Together. I'll be living at Haywood permanently from now on."

"Well, that'll save me a call. You can report what I'm about to tell you to Ranger. We were able to get good prints off the pen Ranger gave us. They match the prints from your door and the business card. It's Shirley Blanco. Now if we just had Shirley Blanco. At least you'll be safe at RangeMan."

"Joe," I said. "There's more. Ranger and I are…married. Not too many people know, but I wanted you to know." Again there was silence.

"I didn't see that coming."

"Joe, I…It happened almost eight months ago. It didn't look like it was going to work and we never told anyone. We've recommitted and we're going public with it. I told my family today. I wanted you to know."

"Well, I'm not sure what to say," Joe responded. "If you're happy then I'm happy for you. Good luck, Cupcake. I think you're going to need it." He disconnected. I looked up to see Ranger standing in the doorway.

"Morelli," I said. "They confirmed the prints on the business card and my door belong to Shirley Blanco. She's my stalker."

Ranger walked to the bed and laid down next to me. "And she's missing. Tank is working with the police, but no one's seen her. Until we get her I don't think you should be alone. I don't share Fenoglio's opinion she's not dangerous."

He rolled over onto me and rested his weight on his elbows. "Was Morelli upset with our news?"

"Maybe a little," I said. "It will be the talk of the Burg as soon as the talk of Grandma and Osbaldo dies down."

"Good," he said. "The sooner everyone knows the better," and then he lowered his body against mine and I forgot all about Morelli, the Burg and Grandma Mazur.

I awoke to see the pale light of a winter morning sneaking in around the draperies. There was a hand low on my belly and I became aware of warm breath teasing the curls at my temple. Ranger's lips traced a soft path across my cheek, past my jaw line and settled into an insistent barrage on the sensitive area at the base of my throat.

"Time to rise and shine, Babe," he murmured. I arched my back and rolled over to face him, burying my face against his warm chest. His arms went around me and I snuggled in as close as I could. The throbbing hardness I felt against my lower abdomen was proof Ranger was already up. The intimacy between us was easy and languid, with desire blooming and growing as naturally as breathing. I wasn't worried at all about the physical aspect of our relationship, but even as my lips and tongue traveled over a flat male nipple I had that little niggling thought we'd never really talked this whole thing out. As Ranger pulled me on top of him I pushed that thought into a remote corner of my brain.

A while later, after we'd showered and dressed, I ambled to the kitchen to find Ella had delivered bagels, fresh fruit, and egg white omelets. "How's this going to work?" I asked Ranger. "Is Ella going to do all our cooking?"

"It will be whatever way you want it, Babe. This is a work in progress and we'll figure out things as we go." Good news, because I was very content to let Ella do all the cooking.

Howdy was once again assigned to Stephanie duty. He drove me to the bonds office with a stop off at the Tasty Pastry. Ranger was spending the morning concentrating on finding Shirley Blanco.

I was more worried than I wanted to let on about Shirley. I hoped she meant no harm to me. Joe thought she was just trying to scare me away from Anthony and, while I trusted his instincts, I found myself remembering the old saying about a woman scorned.

My main concern of the morning, though, was telling Lula and Connie about Ranger and me. I wanted them to hear about us from me and not a malevolent Burg gossip monger and there were sure to be plenty of those.

As we pulled in front of the bonds office, I turned to Howdy. "I'll probably be here for awhile," I warned him. "You can come in, or if you want you can go back to RangeMan and I'll call you when I 'm ready to leave."

"Ranger told me you'd try to get rid of me," he said. "I'll just wait here in the car. After this I'm supposed to take you to your apartment so you can supervise the movers."

"The movers?"

"Yeah, Ranger said he's got a crew of movers coming to help you pack. You can take what you want to seven and they will store the rest."

"He never said a word to me," I said feeling a little manipulated and not knowing quite why I felt that way. It was going to take awhile to get used to being half of a couple. I hoped my current stalker situation wasn't going to set a precedent in Ranger's mind. I wasn't used to having my life planned for me. For the hundredth time I thought, _we need to talk_.

Howdy stayed in the SUV as I grabbed the bag of donuts and headed into the bonds office. Lula looked up as I walked in the door. "Which one was it?" she asked.

"Whaddaya mean?" I asked back.

Connie walked in from Vinnie's office. She turned to Lula, "My money's on Mr. Poughkeepsie."

Lula came over to me and stared into my eyes. She turned to Connie and said, "Yeah, you might be right. I don't think it was ole Anthony and Tank would've told me if it was Ranger."

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"Come on, Stephanie," Lula said, "It's as plain as day. It had to be a man who put that glow in your cheeks and that spring in your step. We're just trying to figure out which one.

"Okay," I said. "You're right. But it wasn't Mr. Poughkeepsie or Anthony. You'd better talk to Tank about his communication skills, Lula." I held up my hand and showed them the rings sparkling on my finger. "It was my husband." It took a few minutes for the squeals to die down and then we sat, ate donuts and I told them about Ranger and me.

I told them mostly the truth, but I couldn't talk about the baby. I didn't know if I'd ever share that with anyone other than Ranger. Then I told them about Anthony, Shirley and Terry Gilman's role in delivering the lingerie.

Connie said, "I can't figure out what we're missing, but something is going on with Terry that just isn't right."

"You mean with Terry and Joe?" I asked.

"Yeah. Yesterday Lula and I saw her with Mooch and they were having one heck of an argument. We tried to get close enough to listen but we couldn't do it."

"Mooch told you Terry was trying to get him to come to work for her uncle," Lula added, "but me and Connie don't believe that."

Connie turned to me and asked, "Do you think Terry is after Mooch?"

"No" I said. "I don't think she's after him personally. Maybe she's talking to him for her uncle."

"I think it's more likely Mooch is after Terry to see if he can work for her uncle," Connie replied. "He's always looking for an easy way out. Why do you think they call him Mooch?"

Lula and I considered the point and Connie continued, "Terry has been shining her headlights at Joe Morelli since she was in high school," Connie said. "She played with him for awhile and then when he came back from the Navy and became a cop he tried to distance himself from her. Then she got serious about him. You were her only real competition and…" she hesitated and I knew what was coming. "I think Joe may have occasionally had something going on with her when you guys were in one of your 'off' periods."

"And maybe," I said, "when we weren't in one of our 'off' periods."

Connie seemed relieved at my response. "Well, I can't prove it, but I always suspected he wasn't entirely faithful to you. It's a Morelli family tradition. I dated Mooch for awhile in high school, until I caught him in the last stall of the girls' locker room with Yvonne Keesick. Anyway, I don't think he's being pursued by Terry. I think it's the other way around. He's doing his best to take Terry away from his cousin. I just can't see Terry giving up Joe for Mooch when she's finally got what she's been after."

I hoped Connie was wrong and right. Joe loved Terry in a way he'd never cared about me. I wanted him to get a chance with her. I hoped Mooch wasn't trying to come between Joe and his woman because Joe and Mooch were close. I was equally hopeful Terry wasn't after Mooch. If any part of Connie's supposition was true it would be a hard hit for Morelli.

"Tell her the rest," Lula said to Connie, but before she could, the bonds office door swung open and Joyce Barnhardt flounced into the room.

She looked around and curled her upper lip back to show two blindingly white porcelain caps. There were bruises showing through her concealer under her eyes and her upper lip was grotesquely swollen. I didn't know if we were seeing the remnant of her recent face plant into concrete or the result of some new cosmetic procedure. Either way it wasn't a good look for her. "Where's Vinnie?" she asked, her gaze sweeping over Lula and me and settling on Connie. Her swollen lip and new teeth gave her a beaverish appearance and I heard a snort from Lula before she turned away.

"He's at the cop shop," Connie said. "Was he expecting you?"

"No," she said, "but he'll be happy to see me. I have a little surprise for him. A gift for the kindness he's shown me." She patted her purse and I wondered what kind of a sex toy she had inside.

"You better hope Lucille don't find out about his kindness or your gift," Lula said. "Or else Lucille might have a little surprise for you."

"Shut up, fatso," Joyce yelled at Lula. "When I want your opinion I'll ask for …" Joyce broke off in mid-sentence to stare out the window. We turned to see what had grabbed her attention. "My, my," she continued, "this may be my lucky day."

Outside the bonds office, Osbaldo Santos-Ayres was walking around to the passenger side of his sleek black Mercedes. He was tall with broad shoulders and no stoop of age. Grandma had really snagged a good-looking man. He gave an impression of breeding and wealth. "What a handsome, _elderly_ gentleman." Joyce was looking at him like he was lunch and I realized she probably did see a meal ticket.

"Stay away from him, Joyce," I warned, "he's taken." Osbaldo opened the door and my Grandma Mazur slipped out of the car.

"That's your granny!" Lula exclaimed.

"Yeah," I said. "And that's Osbaldo. I told you she hooked a hot one, and he just bought her an engagement ring."

They entered the bonds office and Grandma came up to me. "Stephanie, we've been trying to catch up to you this morning. I've got pictures of bridesmaid's dresses for you to look at and I wanted to introduce Baldy to Lula and Connie."

"Well let me introduce myself," Joyce said as she sidled up to Osbaldo. "I'm Joyce Barnhardt and I'm very happy to meet you. Perhaps we could have drinks sometime."

The distinct sound of a safety disengaging turned us all around. Grandma stood, arms extended, with the long-barreled revolver she'd bought at Carlucci's yard sale pointed at Joyce's head. "Step away from the man," she said. "He's already taken."

"You wouldn't shoot me, you senile old bat!" Joyce exclaimed.

"Sure she would," Lula said. "Joyce, you're out on bail for reckless discharge of a firearm and there's not a court in the nation who'd think Granny was guilty of anything but self defense." Joyce looked around the room to find everyone staring at her, everyone but Osbaldo. Osbaldo was staring with strange intensity at Grandma. Joyce apparently decided it was time to cut her losses. She stepped away from Osbaldo and walked out the door muttering obscenities about crazy old women.

Osbaldo looked at Grandma with a gleam in his eye. "Eddie, I didn't know you packed heat. That's a very attractive look for you and I'm feeling, well, uh, I'm feeling like we should make a stop back at Lester's apartment. Soon." Grandma giggled and slipped the safety back on. The gun disappeared into her pocketbook. She held out her hand to Osbaldo. He took it and they headed for the door.

"Catch you girls later," Grandma said. "At my age when an opportunity like this comes up I've just got to grab it."

Osbaldo winked at me and smiled at Connie and Lula. He bowed slightly in our direction. "Sorry to be so abrupt, ladies. Eddie's correct though. At our age we must live by the motto 'Carpe Diem'." They hurried out the door toward the Mercedes.

Connie, Lula and I stood in stunned silence for a moment.

Lula said, "Carpet what?"

"Carpe Diem," I replied. "Seize the day."

"I think they're gonna seize more than that," Lula said with a big smile.

I turned to Connie trying to remember where our conversation had been heading prior to Joyce's arrival. "What were you saying?" I asked.

Connie shook her head and grinned. "I was saying I had a date with Bert last night. We were just going to a movie. I told him about Mooch and how I thought he was up to something. Bert suggested we stake out Mooch. He's still living with his Uncle Leo, so we went to Leo's house and parked out front and waited to see what would happen. It was a lot more fun than the movie."

"You think stakeouts are fun?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was great. I never get to do the fun stuff like you guys do. I'm usually stuck in the office. We had a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers and it was like a romantic picnic, until Mooch left then we had to put the wine away to follow him. And we saw proof that the Morelli men can't be satisfied with one woman. He went clear to Newark and picked up a woman and brought her home with him."

"Who'd he pick up?" I asked.

"I don't know," Connie said, "but Bert and I drove by Leo's this morning and Mooch's car still hasn't been moved." She flipped open her cell and handed it to me. "Here's a picture of them." It was a grainy photo showing Mooch and a woman standing close together. It looked like they'd been standing under a street light when the photo was snapped. Even though the quality wasn't good I could easily recognize Mooch. I took a closer look at the woman.

I plunged my hand into my pocketbook and pulled out my cell punching the button for Ranger.

"Yo," came the familiar response.

"Yo, yourself. I found Shirley Blanco."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 18

I stood flanked by Howdy and Ranger watching the scene unfold. Tank stood quietly behind me. I shivered, more from apprehension than actual discomfort from the cold. Joe was standing quietly on the porch, his hand resting on the butt of his gun. Carl and Big Dog were behind him.

The door opened and they all quickly stepped inside. "I hope they have the back covered," I said softly, remembering Mooch's recent escape out the back door and into my waiting vehicle.

"They do," Tank said over my shoulder. "If she's still in there they'll get her." We waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity. My heart was breaking for Joe. He was in his uncle's house with his gun possibly drawn and I knew rumors were already circulating throughout the Burg.

The door opened and Carl stepped onto the porch holding the aluminum screen door open. Big Dog walked out with his meaty hand wrapped around Shirley Blanco's upper arm. Her hands were cuffed at the back of her waist. She kept her head bent looking neither right nor left as she was escorted down the steps and across the lawn. As she was being placed into the back seat of the police cruiser she lifted her head and, with some strange internal radar, focused her gaze on me. I took an involuntary step back and brushed against Tank. He put his hand on my shoulder to steady me and Ranger's arm came around me for support. The venom in Shirley's glare had struck me like a physical blow. Then the door to the cruiser was shut and our unholy connection was lost. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Tank stepped out from behind me and walked down the sidewalk toward Leo's driveway.

"What's he going to do?" I asked.

"Tank is the liaison between RangeMan and the Trenton P.D. for this case. He's been keeping them informed of all RangeMan's attempts at locating Shirley. I imagine he's going to see if they need any information from you or if they have any information to give us."

"You put Tank in charge?" I questioned.

"I did," Ranger said. "Morelli and I have a good working relationship and I want to keep it that way. I thought right now might be a good time to give Morelli a little space from any dealings with me."

I looked up at Ranger. "That was considerate of you, but I'm not sure it's necessary. Joe is very involved with Terry right now. I think he is truly happy for us."

"He may be," Ranger said, "but he and Terry may not survive this. Morelli is a good cop and I'm not sure Terry Gilman is the best girlfriend for a good cop."

Ranger's words were prophetic. The front door to Leo Morelli's house opened again and Morelli came storming out dragging Terry Gilman behind him. Finding Terry with Mooch can't have been a good thing for Joe.

"Joe!" she whined. "Joey, wait. Listen to me. It's not what it looks like. Mooch means nothing to me." Her words drifted down the block to us as Joe pulled her across the yard and over to his car parked at the curb. He looked up to see Tank approaching him and opened the passenger door for Terry. She got in and he leaned in to say something to her before he slammed the door shut. He walked toward Tank and they talked for a few moments. They shook hands and Tank continued walking toward the black and white where Carl and Big Dog were waiting, apparently for the okay to take Shirley to the station.

Joe looked down the block and our eyes met. As he walked toward us I could see the tension in every step he took. I was an expert when it came to reading Joe's body language. For once I was glad all that Italian ire wasn't directed toward me, but I couldn't find it in my heart to feel sorry for Terry. Joe stopped in front of me.

"We got her. She's been mirandized and arrested. Carl and Big Dog will be taking her in shortly. She's not admitting anything and she is demanding to talk to her attorney. I imagine he'll be meeting her at the station. By the way, her attorney is Dickie Orr."

"What?" I asked with disbelief. "He can't be her lawyer. He's not a defense attorney. She just said that to get back at me. She knows what an ass Dickie is. She worked with me when Dickie and I were married and divorced."

Joe shrugged his shoulders, "That's who she asked to have called."

I reached out and touched Joe's sleeve. "Thanks, Joe. Thanks for all your help with this."

He stared at me for a moment and then gave me a tight smile. "Just doing my job, Cupcake. Just doing my stinking job." He turned abruptly toward Ranger and stuck out his hand.

Ranger hesitated just for a moment before taking his arm from around my shoulders and shaking Joe's hand. "For what it's worth," Joe said, "congratulations. On some level, I actually wish you two happiness." He gave Ranger a half-smile and turned to walk back toward Terry waiting in his car. The police cruiser backed off the driveway and took Shirley Blanco out of my life.

Tank rejoined us and turned to Howdy. "C'mon. Give me a ride back to RangeMan."

"I'm supposed to take Stephanie to her apartment," Howdy said. "There are movers there waiting for her to start packing." Ranger looked from me to Howdy and nodded his head in Tank's direction.

"Take Tank back," he said to Howdy. "I'll take Steph by her place."

"Wait," I said. "Does anybody have to take me to my apartment? My stalker is on her way to jail. Can't I take myself to my apartment?"

Ranger's hand slipped into his pocket and came out with the keys to the Porsche. He handed them to me. "I'll go back to RangeMan with Tank and Howdy," he said. "Call if you need anything."

I took the keys and went up on my tiptoes to kiss Ranger on the cheek. "Thanks. I'll see you this evening." I turned on my heel and headed toward the Porsche. No babysitters today! It was finally starting to sink in. My stalker was in custody, I had a husband who would welcome me home at the end of the day and I had keys to his Porsche. Suddenly I was in the mood to pack and move.

I pulled into my lot and parked the Porsche in the far corner. Watching some of the elderly residents of my building trying to park their cars reminded me of bumper cars at the amusement park and I wasn't taking any chances. I ran up the stairs totally avoiding the elevator and stopped short at the sight of my apartment door standing open. Cautiously, I approached the door and listened. I didn't hear anything. "Hello," I called out. Mooner's head popped around the open door.

"Hey, Dudette," he said, his eyes at half mast, "Me and Dougie have been waiting on you."

I walked in to see stacks of cardboard boxes sitting in the middle of the living room. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"That Tank dude hired us," Mooner said. "We're moving you into storage."

"Yeah," Dougie joined in. "We're taking everything you don't want moved and putting it into storage. And if there's stuff you just don't want at all, well, uh, I've got a little resale business going again, so we could help you with that too."

I was feeling better by the minute. Mooner and Dougie would be great movers. It occurred to me I'd better give Dillon a heads up about moving. "I need to go downstairs and talk to Dillon," I said. "You guys can put all the furniture in storage for now. When I come back upstairs I'll go through my personal stuff and see what I'm taking."

As I walked downstairs I began to reminisce about my apartment. It was the place where Joe and I had first become friends. It was the place Ranger and I had first become lovers. It was Rex's first home. I was happy to be moving on in my life, but by the time Dillon opened his door to me I was in tears.

He ushered me in and sat me in a chair and went to the kitchen. He returned with two tall cans of beer, the Dillon solution to just about anything.

"I'm m-m-moving out!" I bawled. He gave me a Kleenex and I wiped my tears and took a big swig of the beer. Half a beer later, I was calmer and able to talk to him. "Ranger and I are married. I'm giving up my apartment and I'm just a little sad. I was remembering all the good things that happened here."

One beer led to another and we discussed all the things I'd been through. Dillon mentioned the time my apartment was firebombed and I'd lost everything. Then he talked about the time I'd shot a man in my bedroom, and the time I was firebombed again. We remembered when I found Lula beaten and left for dead on my fire escape. Not to mention the snakes.

Talking to Dillon helped immensely. He'd made me realize there were more bad memories than good and all at once I was ready to move into seven. I stood up stretching and almost fell over a small pile of empty beer cans. I was more than a little tipsy. The wall clock showed I'd been downstairs for almost two hours. I bent down and started gathering up the dead soldiers.

"Don't worry about the cans," Dillon said. "I'll get them later. I'll go up with you. I probably need to look around the apartment." We started up the stairs, me in front and Dillon behind. I'd lost track of the number of beers I'd had, but my spinning head reminded me I'd skipped lunch. From behind me Dillon said, "I'll need to take a look at your bathroom. If you're moving out the management will want to redo the bathroom before the next tenant moves in."

I was half way up the stairs when his words sunk in. The hideous brown and orange tiled bathroom I'd hated since I'd moved in was going to be replaced. I spun around quickly and grabbed his shoulder. "They're replacing my bathroom?" I asked incredulously.

"Sure," Dillon said. "Every time someone moves they always upgrade the apartment. That way they can charge more rent." I slugged his shoulder.

"No way!" My vehemence took him by surprise and the almost full can in his hand flew back, struck the wall and fell to the floor at the bottom of the stairs, spewing a small fountain of beer. Dillon bent over backwards and tried to grab the beer. He lost his balance and as he started to fall I reached out to grab him. He wrapped his hands around my arm and pulled me with him.

Arms and legs akimbo, we cartwheeled down the stairwell. I landed on my back, spread-eagled in a puddle of beer. Dillon tried to catch himself, but he landed on top of me with a lung-emptying, rib-bruising smack. We lay unmoving for a few seconds then I arched my back trying to roll him off. He drew up a knee and began to lift himself up. When his knee slipped in the beer he came crashing back down.

A shadow crossed my line of vision and I looked up to see Ranger and Lester, whose mouth was hanging open in a silent 'Oh!' The lack of air in my lungs and the dead weight of Dillon were conspiring to make little black dots dance in front of my eyes. The dots were in the way and I couldn't clearly see Ranger's expression. Finally I managed to grunt out, "It's not what it looks like!"

"Babe," Ranger said, "what it looks like is painful." He and Lester came down the stairs and Lester pulled Dillon off me. Ranger helped me to my feet and said, "I've been trying to get hold of you for almost two hours. We decided to come over and make sure you were okay."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I think I left my phone upstairs. Dillon's been helping me move." Lester took a good look at Dillon and then at me. He breathed in air I knew smelled like a brewery. "Dillon's been helping me move, emotionally," I said. "We've been talking about me giving up my apartment."

Lester leaned close and whispered in my ear, "I thought you learned your lesson after Mr. Poughkeepsie." His smirk was knowing and then in a louder voice he said, "While the two of you were downstairs emotionally moving, Dougie and Mooner physically cleaned out your apartment upstairs."

"What!" I exclaimed. "They were supposed to move the furniture and then wait for me."

"It's true, Babe." Ranger said as his arm came around me. "Dougie and Mooner are gone. Your apartment is empty except for your purse, phone and a Pleasure Treasures bag."

"Which Ranger wouldn't let me open," Lester interjected.

I looked at the stairs then walked over and pushed the elevator button. My head was really spinning after the fall. Mrs. Bestler had the day off so the ride to two was uneventful. I rushed through my apartment door to find it just as Ranger said.

"Where are they?" I wailed. "Where's my stuff?" and I began to cry.

Two hours later I was showered and mostly sober, sitting at the kitchen bar on seven. Ranger was watching me eat a peanut butter and olive sandwich and wash it down with a cold glass of milk. Dougie and Mooner and all my worldly possessions had been found at the Chambersburg Self-Storage Center. Ranger made the decision to leave my worldly possessions there so I could go through them at my leisure. I think he'd also made the decision never to hire Dougie and Mooner again.

I sighed as I finished my sandwich. "I guess it's for the best," I said. "My junk never would have fit into this space. It's already full of your stuff.

Ranger held out his hand to me. "Come with me, Steph. I want to show you something." We walked hand in hand to the foyer of the apartment. I looked down at my feet covered in red fuzzy socks.

"Wait," I said. "If we're leaving I need to put some shoes on."

"You won't need them, Babe." He led me out the door and around the corner to a door I'd always assumed was a storage closet. He pulled keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, swinging it open. I looked inside to see a large empty room with a wall of windows facing the west. The weak light of the late winter afternoon was coming in through the windows and I could see the space was huge.

What is this?" I asked.

"It could be our new home," Ranger said. "It adjoins my apartment and is roughly twice the square footage. I didn't want or need the space for my apartment so the architect left it empty when my place was built. We could make a separate, second apartment or we could turn the entire floor into one space. Your call, Babe."

I was silent looking at a space I hadn't known existed. "The apartment is mine," Ranger continued. "I want someplace that is ours. Someplace for your stuff to live with my stuff, permanently, in harmony."

I stayed quiet looking into the cavernous space. Ranger walked through the door way and pulled me in next to him. He kicked the door shut and wrapped his arms around me. His voice was rough as he said, "Babe, we need to talk. Now." I pulled back to look at his face. No blank face this time. His eyes glittered with emotion. I was so unused to seeing his feelings on his face I couldn't tell whether our talk was going to be good or bad. But I agreed. It was time.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 19

Ranger's hands were in my hair. He used gentle leverage to move my face up to his. The roughness in his voice made my heart catch. "Are you regretting this marriage, Stephanie?" There was an edge to his voice that might have been fear.I opened my mouth to respond, but found I had no words.

My hesitation heightened the emotion I saw on his face.

"No," I said in a rush. "I'm not regretting our marriage."

"Then what is your hesitancy, Babe. Why do you not want to move from your apartment? It doesn't feel like you're totally committed."

I didn't know how to respond. I pulled away and took a couple of steps turning my back to Ranger. What I was going to say would hurt him and I didn't want to do that, but I also knew it had to be said.

"I'm not regretting our marriage. I want to spend my life with you. I love you, but Ranger, I'm angry and I'm frightened." He came to me and put his arm around my shoulders and we began to slowly walk the perimeter of the empty room. Not looking at him I continued. "When you left me I was devastated. Looking back on it I'm not sure how I got through it. The pain from losing the baby was far greater than I could imagine and not having anyone to share it with was unbearable."

His arm tightened around me, "Babe, I…"

I interrupted him. "I got through it. Each day I prayed for the next day to be better and eventually I got to the point where the days were okay. Amazingly, no one seemed to realize how close I was to just not being able to go on. I can't do it again, Ranger."

"Babe, I'll never leave you again. Do you believe that?"

"I did when you told me you'd give me babies. I do when you tell me you love me, but then, when I'm alone, I wonder what is in store for us. What will happen that we can't even begin to imagine. What could make you change your mind?"

I turned to look up at him, "And what happened that made you change your mind this time and come back to me?"

"When we were standing on the courthouse steps and the bullets started to fly," Ranger said softly, "my only thought was to keep you safe. Then, before I could fully realize what was happening, our baby was gone. I knew pain too, Babe. But instead of staying and sharing our grief, I knew I had to leave. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. You are the most important thing in my life and I'd threatened your existence by pulling you into my world."

"Ranger," I protested. "I told you the doctor said the shooting had nothing to do with the death of our baby. The doctor called it fetal demise. You didn't even stay to get the news with me. When I had an explanation for what had happened you were gone and I had no one and that's when the anger began."

"I can't say anything to take away that anger," Ranger said, "because I feel the same anger toward myself. I left because I was sure it was the right thing to do. But, Babe," he grabbed my arm and swung me around to face him. "It wasn't an easy thing for me to do. It was torture being apart from you." I saw the truth of his words on his face.

"Tank kept this place running," he continued. "But time after time there was a need for me to be here, so basically I commuted between here and Boston. A month or so ago I made the decision to come back. Tank has been keeping me apprised of what was going on in your life. I knew you weren't with the cop or anyone else and I didn't plan on becoming part of your life again. But then you called and I heard your pain and I couldn't stay away."

I ignored the last of his words and focused on the first part of what he'd said. "You had Tank spy on me the entire time you were gone?" I wasn't surprised, just a little shocked I'd been under surveillance and totally unaware of it.

"I did," he said without any sign of guilt. "Lula helped inadvertently. She was concerned about you and she shared those concerns with Tank. She knew you were suffering, but she thought it had to do with the cop. She was just at the point of making an effort to get you to open up when you seemed to get better."

This news set me back a little. I hadn't hidden my anguish as well as I'd thought. I know Lula and I have a true friendship and I'd just been given more proof of it. She'd quietly been there waiting for me to ask for help. When I didn't, she continued her support without being intrusive. I was lucky to have someone like her in my life.

Ranger leaned into me and kissed me, breaking my introspection. It was a soft searching kiss, an attempt to make a connection. The uncertainty I felt in it turned my heart over and I responded. I kissed him back and wrapped my arms around him. We stood silently hugging and taking comfort from each other's nearness. Passion wasn't a part of the embrace.

"I realized," Ranger said, "that being away from you wasn't the answer. You seem to survive and find trouble on your own, even when I'm gone. I decided to get you back in my life on a permanent basis, if it wasn't too late. I can't change what's happened. All I can do is make sure nothing like it happens again. I'm here for you, forever. Can you trust me? Babe, can you forgive me?"

I looked up at him, this perfectly handsome, imperfect man. He loved me, there was no doubt. I loved him or he'd never have been able to hurt me like he had. Ranger had always lived his life by his own moral code and I knew hurting me had not been on his agenda.

"I don't want to be angry any more. I thought I'd worked through it, so I'm surprised to find it's still there." I took in a heavy breath and let it out. "It's helped to hear you talk about it."

I reached up and traced the line of his brow with my fingertip. My hand dropped to his chest where I felt his heart beat, slow, steady and strong. "I love you. I want a life with you. I trust you and I believe you when say you'll always be here for me."

I took another deep breath, and gathered my courage. "So. You made a vow to me a few days ago and now I make a vow to you. I love you, Ranger. I will be a good wife to you. And I forgive you. Our life is about our future now, and while I can't forget the past I won't dwell on it."

His arms tightened and his mouth again found mine. The connection he'd been searching for with his last kiss had been made. I'd married a wonderful kisser. His lips gave pleasure and took pleasure from mine. His hands roamed my body starting little fires that threatened to consume me. His erection was straining against my abdomen.

He whispered in my ear, "Let's go back to the apartment, Babe."

"No," I said. "The other day you said you were going to start as you meant to continue. Let's stay here and make love in our new home."

"Babe," he glanced down at the cold tile floor.

"Get creative, Batman," I said as I ran my hand low over his arousal. He did.

Hours later as our passions cooled, the coldness of the room was beginning to sink in. Ranger was sitting with his back against the wall, legs spread. I was nestled in between his legs with my back against his chest. His arms were around me, warding off the cold as best he could. I wasn't sure my legs would work, but I knew we should get up and go back to the apartment. The light from the west windows was gone and the temperature in the space was dropping by the minute. I heard the buzz of Ranger's phone vibrating for at least the third time. He'd ignored the other calls, but this time he answered.

"Yo," he said hitting the speaker phone button.

Tank's voice echoed in the empty room. "Where the hell are you? Your GPS says you haven't left the building."

Ranger looked from one end of the room to the other. "I think I'm in my bedroom." I looked over my shoulder to see a grin on Ranger's face. He stroked my hair and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

"The hell you are!" Tank responded. "I just sent Bobby up there and he said no one was home."

"I assure you, I'm in the building. What's up?"

"Morelli called. Blanco made bail."

Ranger remained silent for a heartbeat. "Details," he demanded softly.

"I don't have them," Tank said. "Morelli wants to meet with you two tomorrow. I told him to be here at nine and he said that'd work. He just wanted to make sure you knew she was out."

"We'll both be there and have Lester and Howdy on the premises as well. Put a RangeMan escort on Steph."

"Speaking of premises, where the hell are you?" Tank asked. Ranger disconnected. I stood and turned, holding out my hand to Ranger. He let me help him up off the floor.

"What are we doing here?" I asked. "There' s a perfectly comfortable bed next door."

Ranger wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. "Babe, we're beginning as we mean to go on." I looked at him and saw the faintest lip twitch. I smiled back.

The next morning Ranger, Joe, Tank, Lester and Howdy were sitting around the conference table when I walked into the room. I was moving a little slowly, not wanting to admit the tiled floor of our future bedroom maybe wasn't such a good idea. If anyone noticed my limp no one said anything.

Joe stood and all eyes turned toward him. "Here's what we have so far. Shirley Blanco freely admitted to addressing the envelopes. She denies any knowledge of threatening photographs or messages, but we were able to arrest her based on the evidence of her fingerprint on the business card. Also, the handwriting on the warning notes is hers, as was the print we got off the door. The evidence is fairly conclusive, but we're still investigating. Today we'll be canvassing the apartment building where Steph lives, uh, lived. Hopefully someone will have seen Blanco in the building."

"How'd she make bail so quickly?" Ranger asked.

"And what was she doing with Mooch, Joe?" My question caused him to flush a little and I could see he was uncomfortable in his present role.

"I don't have all the answers yet," Joe said, "but I'll tell you what I know. Her bail hearing was set very quickly after she came in, and she was represented by Dickie Orr. He will turn the case over to a criminal defense attorney before trial. I think you were right, Cupcake. She did call Dickie as a shot to you. He was obviously surprised and did what he could to help her, but indicated someone else would be taking over the case. The judge received a request for an immediate bail hearing from none other than Vito Grizzoli.

"Terry's uncle?" I asked

"The same," Joe said. "He reportedly operates outside the law, but he's influential. He has friends in high places and when he makes a request, he gets listened to."

"Who wrote her bond?" I demanded to know. "If Vinnie did I'll kill him!"

"No one wrote her bond," Joe continued. "She was released on her own recognizance after a large cash bond was posted. There is a court mandated restraining order in place to keep her away from you. If she breaks that restraining order her bail is revoked, with no chance to be rebonded. Here's where it gets interesting. Anthony Fenoglio put up the cash for her and presumably he was the one who asked for Vito's help. The Grizzolis and Fenoglios are old family allies. Fenoglio came, paid her bail fee and took her home." Joe turned to Tank, "Did you have a man on her?"

"Yes," Tank answered. "Cal has been watching her all night. He was just relieved by Woody and is on his way back in so I don't have a full report yet, but I do know Fenoglio took her home and went inside. He stayed for about an hour and then he left. We didn't have manpower assigned to follow him. This morning Blanco left her apartment about an hour ago and went to Baldicott, presumably to work. Fenoglio's car was in the executive lot so we are assuming he's at work as well."

Joe turned and spoke directly to me. "The connection with Mooch is a little tenuous depending on whom you choose to believe. Apparently Mooch met Blanco when he was with Terry. Never one to pass up an opportunity, Mooch got her number and started seeing her. Terry says she was unaware of this. Shirley confessed to Mooch she's in love with her boss. She knew it was hopeless because he was in love with you. Mooch decided to help her get over Fenoglio and began wining her and dining her. He didn't want Terry to know."

Joe looked pained, but he continued. "Here's where it gets fuzzy. Terry claims she was acting as a messenger, carrying information between her uncle and Mooch. Mooch kept bugging Vito for work saying he had connections to the P.D. that could be valuable to Vito. Terry says Mooch kept coming on to her thinking that would solidify his position with Vito. She swears it was all one-sided and, frankly, I don't know what to believe. I'm not even sure if it's germane to this case, but I've turned that part of the investigation over to Brian Simon. I'm in too deep to be objective."

The meeting broke up after that. I knew I'd be on a Merry Man watch until the trial was over. Who knew how long that would be? I was puzzled over Anthony's involvement. Maybe he felt he owed it to Shirley to help her since it was his own bad idea that'd gotten her involved in the first place. I looked up from my musings to see the room had emptied with the exception of Joe and Ranger. Joe turned to Ranger and said, "I'd like to borrow your wife for a while today, Mañoso. I owe her lunch and we have some things to talk about. I'll keep her safe."

"Joe," I said, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice, "You can ask me if you need to see me. I'm married, not in prison." I had no idea what he wanted to talk to me about, but I was curious. "Pick me up at noon, here," I said. "I've been craving a meatball sub."

Joe smiled and reached down under the conference table. He placed a familiar _La Perla _bag on the table. "I got the okay to return this to you. Fenoglio has admitted to giving it all to you and it's no longer considered evidence in the case. See you at noon."

I looked in the bag as Morelli left. All of the lingerie was there. I pulled out the _Carine Gilson _thong and let my hands slide over the silk. This was a nice surprise I hadn't been expecting. The thong was pulled from my fingers. Ranger dropped it back in the bag and threw the bag into the trash can.

"Not in this lifetime, Babe!"

"Ranger, you can't throw that out. It's thousands of dollars worth of lingerie!"

"You are not wearing underwear that was given to you by another man." His arms went around me and pulled me close. "I can provide you with all the underwear you want." His expression was resolute.

"Okay," I relented, "but I'm not throwing it away. I'll give it to someone who will get good use out of it." I walked over and pulled the bag out of the trash. I smiled as the plan formed.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 20

It had been decided by the RangeMan powers that be I would be safe having lunch with Joe Morelli. Ranger and Tank didn't want me to go without an escort, but they didn't have a good answer when I asked who would come after me when I was in the company of a Trenton P.D. detective. After lunch I was to be returned to RangeMan where Howdy would become my shadow. I didn't mind. I found Howdy to be pleasant company.

Joe picked me up right at noon and we rode in silence to Pino's. It was strangely familiar to be sitting there with him. When we entered Pino's, I saw a few speculative glances. Word was already out about Ranger and me so I knew there'd be talk about my having lunch with Joe. I didn't care.

It was toward the end of lunch when Joe finally told me his news. "I'm leaving Trenton."

"Why?" I asked, truly surprised.

"Terry and I have no future here, and in spite of everything I want her in my future. A few months ago I was offered a job with the Cincinnati P.D. as a detective in charge of a new homicide unit. I turned them down, but yesterday I called and found out the position was still open to me. I don't know whether to believe Terry or not, but she's willing to leave Trenton and her family to be with me. I think it's our only shot at making it and we're going to take it."

"Wow," I said. I looked at his face and realized some of the tension I'd been seeing lately was gone. "I'll miss you, Joe. I'm happy for you and Terry, but I will miss you." I reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

"I'll miss you too," he said. "You're an original, Stephanie Plum, and I'll always be there for you if you need me…even long distance." He reached out and tugged one of my curls and it was a really bittersweet moment. Each of us was moving on and we both knew we wouldn't keep in touch even if we couldn't verbalize it.

I found Ranger in his office after my lunch with Joe. He looked up from his computer screen and smiled at me. He didn't ask, but I knew he was curious about my conversation with Joe. I walked around and plopped down on his lap. "Joe and Terry are moving to Cincinnati," I said. "They want to be together and he doesn't think they can make a life here."

"I'm sorry, Babe."

"Sorry, why?" I asked.

"Because he's been a good friend to you and I know you'll miss him."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

Ranger gave me a steady look. "Yes, I'm serious. You're my wife, but I don't own you. I wouldn't have kept you from seeing Morelli if he'd stayed in Trenton." The tiny seed of burgeoning joy I'd felt two days before sprouted.

I found Howdy and let him drive me to the bonds office. Connie'd left a message on my phone. Maria Fiorelli had once again missed her court date and needed to be rebonded. She was working the early shift at Giovichinni's. Howdy waited in the SUV while I ran in the bonds office and picked up the paper-work for Maria.

"Your grandma and her honey were just in here," Lula said. "He's a sexy old dude. I think him and your grandma are a perfect match."

"What were they doing here?" I asked.

"Looking for you. She wanted you to go with them to Kazmiski's formal wear store to help pick out tuxedos. Lester's gonna be his grandpa's best man."

I looked at my watch. "Kazmiski's is just around the corner from Giovichinni's," I said. "If Howdy hurries he might get me there early enough to help them out." I ran out and hopped in the SUV and told Howdy about the plans.

He made good time and I had half an hour to spare before Maria got off work. He kept looking in his rearview mirror. "Are we being followed?" I asked.

"No, I don't see anyone. I'm being vigilant, but Tank thinks Shirley will abide by the terms of the restraining order. Sometimes I just get a feeling, but there's probably nothing to it," he said, shrugging his shoulders. I smiled. Howdy had spidey sense. I made a note to be careful. Based on my own experiences, I knew better than to discount his feeling.

I walked through the door to Kazmiski's and saw Lester in a powder blue tuxedo. He looked at me with terror in his eyes. "Help!" he demanded.

I walked over to a similarly attired Osbaldo. "Where's Grandma?" I asked.

"She's next door doing some shopping while we're being fitted," he replied. I made an executive decision. I turned to the clerk. "We'll take basic black tuxedos," I said. I turned back to Osbaldo. "If Grandma wants color she can have it on the vests."

"She was having trouble making a decision," Osbaldo said. "We want everything to be perfect because this is the last time we'll ever do this. At our age we're grateful to have found one another. She'll be glad of your help." I looked at my watch. I didn't want to miss Maria. I still had twenty minutes.

"I'm going to head over to Giovichinni's" I said. "Maybe I can find Grandma." I gave the groom and best man a hug and went to tell Howdy where I'd be.

"I think I'd better go in with you," Howdy said. "You might need help with your skip."

"No, wait here," I said. "I'll be perfectly safe in the store. I'm going to find my grandma and then wait for Maria to get off work. She'll be cooperative." I could tell Howdy wanted to be more hands on, but he stayed in the SUV, his eyes focused on me as I entered the store.

I saw Maria immediately and walked up to her checkout lane. She turned, grinned and ducked her head. A small flush spread across her cheeks. "I know. I've been bad. I'll be off work and ready to go in a few minutes."

I grinned back at her. "Okay, I'll just browse. I think my grandma is in the store. I'm going to see if I can find her." Maria was a nice change of pace. I wasn't going to make much bringing her in, but I wasn't going to be wearing anybody's lunch either.

The store was small and I made my way to the back. I figured I'd find Grandma at the meat counter. As I rounded the corner the little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I didn't see Grandma anywhere. I sensed someone behind me and swung around to face Anthony Fenoglio.

"Anthony!" Surprise was evident in my face. "What are you doing here?"

"I've actually been following you. I need to talk to you. Shirley has told me a lot and there are things I need to ask you. Can we go someplace and talk?"

I didn't think going anywhere with Anthony was a good idea. His eyes were nervously darting back and forth as if he was afraid someone would see him. There was no restraining order against him. Why should he be nervous, I wondered?

"I can't right now," I said. "I'm here to pick up a skip. My partner is out front waiting for me."

"We need to talk, now," Anthony insisted. He reached out and grabbed my upper arm attempting to pull me to him. I jerked my arm back.

"Not now, Anthony. If you want to talk to me, call me tomorrow and we'll schedule a time."

"I'm sorry, Stephanie. I insist we talk now." His hand was in his jacket pocket. "I have a gun in my pocket and I'll use it if necessary. I don't want to hurt anyone. Don't make me." He had little beads of sweat on his upper lip, and his eyes continued to dart side to side. This was not the Anthony I knew. I decided to cooperate with him. Howdy was outside and there was no way he'd let me get into a car with Anthony.

"Fine," I said. "Let's go." I turned and headed to the front.

"Not that way," Anthony said. He motioned toward the exit to the back parking lot. I felt the first tremors of real fear. Going out the public but seldom used back entrance was not good. As I walked with Anthony I tried to calm down and think clearly. I didn't think he would hurt me. He'd never shown any propensity for violence before. I had to get a message to Howdy. I knew my car had RangeMan trackers, but I was uncertain if there was anything in my pocketbook. As we got closer to the door Anthony stepped into position directly behind me. The gun that'd been in his pocket was now out. I could feel the hardness of the barrel pressing against my jacket. He was very close to me. I reached up to push the door open and saw my grandma standing on the other side.

She pulled open the door and said, "Stephanie, I came over here to find you. I went back to Kazmiski's and Baldy told me I'd just missed you." I felt Anthony's hand tremble as he pressed the gun deeper into the folds of my jacket. He was nervous and that wasn't doing anything to calm me down. "Can you come over and look at the black tuxedos?" she asked.

I needed to somehow get a message to Grandma so she'd know things weren't right. Lester and Howdy both were nearby and if they were alerted something was wrong I'd feel better. "Grandmother Edna," I said using a name I never called her. "How nice to see you. I'm sorry I can't help you now. Anthony and I are late to a meeting. You remember Anthony, Grandmother? He's my former boss from E.E. Martin."

Grandma shot a look at me, then at Anthony. "Sure, I remember you. Nice to see you again. Too bad you don't have time to help me today, Granddaughter Stephanie. I'll be giving you a call real soon," and she winked at me.

Anthony and I walked through the door and into the parking lot. He leaned forward and, in a voice that seemed to be as fear-filled as I felt, he said, "Get in the grey car and don't try anything. I don't want to have to hurt you." I walked forward to the passenger side of the car. The windows were tinted, but I thought I saw movement in the back seat. As I opened the door Anthony leaned in even closer. His hand came from behind me and slipped inside the car where a female hand shot forward over the seat and grabbed the gun. "Get in," he said, and I did with a sinking feeling. The gun was now being held by Shirley Blanco and it was pointed at the back of my head.

Anthony said he wouldn't hurt me. I believed him. I wasn't as sure about Shirley. We were headed west and so far no one had spoken. I decided to change that. "What's going on?" I asked. "Where are you taking me?"

Shirley pressed the gun against the base of my skull and I almost stopped breathing. "Don't talk," she growled. "You'll figure it out soon enough."

"Shirley, be nice!" Anthony admonished. "When I agreed to help you with this you said no one would get hurt. You can put the gun away. I know Stephanie will cooperate."

"I will," I said, thinking I'd do about anything to get the gun away from my head. We were in Trenton. If we hit one pot-hole it could be all over for me.

"Stephanie," Anthony said. "Who was that man who was with you in the office?"

"I introduced you the other day," I said. "It was Carlos Mañoso. "

"You forgot to tell him," Shirley chimed in from the back seat, "Carlos Mañoso is her husband, Anthony, ask her. Everything I told you last night is the truth. The woman you think you're in love with is married to another man. She was just leading you on. When you were having your romantic dinner she was cheating on her husband. She's no different than your cheating ex-wife. I'm the one you should have fallen in love with. I'm the woman who would have given you everything." Shirley was yelling and the gun continued to press into the back of my skull.

My tongue was caught between teeth that were clenched so tightly I could taste blood. I took a slow breath and told myself to relax. It didn't work. I began to think I wasn't going to get out of this. I tried to look in the side mirror without moving my head. I saw no RangeMan vehicle following us. My hope was Grandma Mazur had realized something was wrong, but even if she had the chances of being found were growing less and less the farther we went from the Burg.

Anthony never took his eyes from the road. His voice was soft as he asked, "That's not true, is it, Stephanie? You aren't married to that man. You know how much it hurt me when my wife was unfaithful. You're not married, are you?"

I'm known for my ability to lie. I can come up with a good story any time I need to and I'm believable. What caused me to tell the truth is something I still don't understand. I heard myself talking and I couldn't believe what I was saying. "Yes, we are married, but we were separated. We weren't living together as man and wife."

"That's a lie," Shirley shouted. "He was with you yesterday when I was arrested. Mooch told me you're living together."

"Are you living with your husband?" Anthony asked.

"I am, but…" I jerked against my seatbelt as Anthony sharply turned off the road and pulled to a stop.

"Stephanie," Anthony said, turning to face me. "I'm afraid I can't be your friend anymore. You should have been honest with me." His expression was grim, but his eyes were tear-filled. "Shirley is right. You're nothing more than an unfaithful adulterous bitch, just like my ex-wife." His words were harsh, but his head hung in defeat.

He turned to the back seat and looked at Shirley. "I'm sorry. I owe you an apology, Shirley. You've always been faithful to me and I've been blind to it. I hope it's not too late for us."

Shirley moved the gun from the back of my head and said, "Get out of the car, Stephanie." She didn't have to tell me twice. I opened the door, thinking I'd jump and run. I had one foot on the ground when I heard Shirley's softly spoken words, "I'm afraid it is too late." The sound of a gunshot reverberated in the cold winter air. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a red cloud of vapor I was sure used to be Anthony's head.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Chapter 21

I fell out of the car onto my hands and knees. The gunshot was still ringing in my ears. My stomach roiled and I thought for a moment I'd get sick, but I was too frightened to vomit. I heard Shirley as if from a distance, but I was very conscious of the gun in her hand. "Get up and start walking." I got to my feet and looked around.

I was near the river, and the wind whipped up the embankment and under my coat. I pulled it tighter around me and started moving slowly. I didn't know where she wanted me to walk. She pushed me to the left. "Over here," she said. I looked to see a small slope leading down to railroad tracks. "Get on the tracks and start walking to the bridge."

I did as she said, moving in ultra slow motion, partly due to the fact I was in shock from seeing Anthony's murder, and partly to delay what I was afraid was my similar fate. "What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'm not going to do anything," she laughed. "You're going to do it. You are going to walk to the middle of the bridge, Stephanie, and then you're going to jump off. I'll leave the gun on the bridge where it can be found and everyone will think you shot Anthony."

I continued walking, stepping carefully over the rail. There were double tracks and I stepped between them. I continued to move slowly with Shirley a step or two behind me. I took as much time as I could. There was going to be no last minute rescue. If I was saved, it was looking like I'd have to save myself. Shirley was a small woman. If she didn't have a gun I could take her. The gun made the playing field uneven. I knew from very recent experience she'd use the gun with no hesitation. Her plan may have been for me to leap off the bridge into the ice-encrusted Delaware River, but I was betting she had a backup plan if I didn't walk. She'd just used a backup plan on Anthony, I was pretty sure.

It seemed like I'd walked forever, but I was still only a quarter of the way across the bridge. I looked at the low railing on the outside of each set of tracks. There was no pedestrian lane as this bridge was intended only for the use of trains. The river below was mostly frozen, with small areas where the water eddied around the ice floe. If the fall didn't kill me the river would. I was getting ready to make my move. I'd swing around and try to knock the gun away. If that didn't work and I was still alive I'd lower my head and ram her against the railing. I didn't want to push her over, but better her than me. I slowed so she would get even closer to me, but before I could put my plan in action the sound of a gunshot froze both Shirley and me where we stood.

I swung around and saw my grandma running down the middle of the railroad tracks with her long barreled revolver pointed in our general direction. I didn't know what was more horrifying, the sight of my grandma getting ready to fire indiscriminately or the large oscillating headlight of a locomotive over her shoulder.

The train definitely wasn't part of Shirley's plan. She stood unmoving and I jumped striking her gun hand with my fist. The gun went flying from her hand and over the railing into the river below. "Grandma, look out!" I yelled. Shirley recovered quickly and thrust her arm out at me. My head jerked backward as her fist contacted with my jaw. My eyes watered from the pain and without thinking I raised my leg and kicked out as hard as I could. She fell sideways and bounced off the railing. I turned my back on Grandma and the approaching train to deliver another kick to Shirley, and what I saw took my breath away. Another oscillating headlight. I turned my head from side to side and realized the two trains would pass about where I was standing.

Shirley was no longer my main problem. I ran as fast as I could toward Grandma. Her eyes were wide, looking at the train behind me. She hadn't yet seen the train behind her. I grabbed for her gun and threw it to the ground. My arms went around her waist and we fell to the ground in the middle of the two sets of tracks. There was only about five feet between the tracks and I hoped it would be enough. Shirley was forgotten as we lay face to face hugging one another, trying to be as small as possible.

Both trains blew their whistles non-stop. They'd seen Grandma and me hit the ground, and if they were trying to tell us to move it wasn't working. My muscles were tense and on the verge of cramping.

"Don't move," I yelled to Grandma. "We'll be okay if we stay still." I had no idea if I was speaking the truth or not. I just knew we had no other option.

The train I'd seen behind Shirley reached us first. It gave new meaning to the phrase 'faster than a speeding locomotive'. The noise of steel on steel roared in my ears as the endless line of boxcars swept by us in a continuous blur.

A moment later, the train thundered past from the other direction, wind swirling under the cars and rocking Grandma and me back and forth. The blast of noise from two trains was ear-splittingly painful. We kept our eyes tightly closed as gravel and dust swirled around us. I clung to Grandma, afraid she'd be sucked under one of the metal wheels if I let go. I felt her hands snake up my neck and cover my ears. She was protecting me as surely as I was protecting her. In the middle of the horrible situation, I felt tears of love for her roll down my face.

It seemed to go on for an eternity. Shirley was totally forgotten. It dawned on me eventually the noise was partly from the brakes being applied. The trains were slowing, but it became clear they'd both be off the bridge before they came to a rest. The first train cleared us, but we still remained unmoving. We'd been safe so far and I didn't want to take a chance of moving in the wrong direction. When the second train cleared I sat up and helped Grandma into a sitting position. I looked back toward Shirley. She was nowhere to be seen. I turned and looked back toward the direction of Anthony's car.

Two men were running down the tracks toward us. One was Ranger, and the other with red hair flying behind him was Howdy. Howdy reached me first and scooped me into his arms. I thought I saw an expression of surprise on Ranger's face, but to his credit he didn't hesitate to pick up Grandma and to head back to the embankment.

I heard Howdy say, "I'm sorry, Stephanie. This happened on my watch." Howdy's voice sounded strangely muffled past the ringing in my ears. "If you'd been injured I'd never have forgiven myself." His features were pulled into a grimace and his face was pale as he set me on my feet.

"It wasn't your fault," I assured him. "You're spidey senses were right on. We should have listened to them." I gave him a quick hug and turned to see Ranger handing my grandma over to Osbaldo. Lester was standing beside his grandpa in a powder blue tuxedo.

Strong arms went around me and I was being hugged tightly to Ranger's chest. He didn't speak, and I could feel his heart beating erratically beneath my cheek. I breathed in his scent and hugged him back as tightly as he held me.

I heard the sound of a police siren and it pulled me firmly back into the present. "Shirley killed Anthony," I told Ranger. "She was on the bridge. She was going to kill me. What happened, did the train hit her?"

"We saw someone go over the bridge, Babe. Then the train came and we couldn't get to the tracks. We didn't know who went over and who was left until Howdy and I reached you. It was the most excruciating experience of my life until I saw you sit up.

The police sirens became louder. I recognized Morelli's SUV with his Kojack light on top. He squealed to a halt and came running forward, slowing when he saw me. Two black and whites followed Joe onto the scene. The ground around Anthony's car was cordoned off and the area officially became a crime scene.

I heard Grandma shouting at Osbaldo, "I almost got her. If it wasn't for that train I'd have nailed Shirley Blanco." Grandma's hearing was still affected by the noise from the trains. I put my hand to my ear and remembered her selfless act and once again tears began to run down my face.

It took awhile for things to get sorted out, but Grandma was the heroine of the day. She'd realized immediately something was wrong. She went back and pulled Lester and Osbaldo out of the formal wear shop. They'd followed Anthony and alerted Ranger and Howdy to what was going on. When they'd pulled up behind Anthony's car, Lester and Osbaldo went to the car telling Grandma to stay back. They were afraid they'd find me as well as Anthony in the car. Grandma saw me on the railroad tracks and took matters into her own hands.

By the time the police were done questioning me I was shivering from the cold and adrenaline rush. My legs were getting rubbery and I leaned against Ranger for support. Grandma, on the other hand, was energized by all the attention from the police. Osbaldo was looking at her with that intent gaze again and I wondered if Lester would have to sleep in an SUV tonight.

The police had started a search for Shirley. There was no way she could have survived a fall, but I would rest easier once her body was found. Ranger had been quiet during the time I was being questioned by the detectives. When it was finally okay for me to leave he settled me in the Porsche and leaned in to give me a tender kiss.

We arrived back at Haywood and were met by Tank. He had news. "They just pulled Shirley Blanco's body out of the river. They'll do an autopsy, but prelims indicate she died of a broken neck." I felt relieved and a little guilty to be relieved.

"I'll be offline for the next week," Ranger told Tank. "You're in charge as of right now."

"Are you going into the wind?" Tank asked. I lifted my head from where it'd been resting on Ranger's chest.

I didn't want him to leave me, but before I could verbalize my concern he said, "Yes, and I'll be unreachable for any reason. I'm taking my wife on a long overdue honeymoon."

I showered as soon as we reached seven. Ranger's supply of hot water seemed to be unlimited, but his patience wasn't. "Babe, are you about done?" he questioned through clouds of steam.

"Yes," I sighed. "I'm trying to wash the entire memory of the day away." Ranger's hand reached in and turned off the water. He pulled me out and wrapped me in a fluffy white towel.

"We need to talk," he said. "You have a very important decision to make."

"What now?" I asked.

"Atlantic or Pacific?"

"What?"

He tugged at the edge of the towel drawing me closer to him. "Do you want to spend our honeymoon on an island in the Atlantic or Pacific?"

I put my arms around his neck, letting the towel drop to the floor. "I don't care," I said. "As long as it starts now."

A/N: Not quite the end…stay tuned.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.**

Epilogue

We honeymooned on a private island in the Caribbean. Our cottage was on the beach and for five days we saw no one but a discreet butler who brought us food. We made love and talked and I saw, for the first time, a completely carefree Ranger. Sometimes we lounged on the beach letting the tropical sun warm us. Other times we created our own heat. Ranger and I went to the island as a husband and wife in love. We left as soul mates.

When we returned to Trenton real life slapped me in the face. There were parts of my stalker nightmare that would never have definitive answers. Did Shirley jump or fall from the bridge trying to avoid the train? What pushed her over the edge, mentally? And why did Anthony agree to help her? I had to think Anthony was clueless to her real plan. How did the normal people I'd worked with become so unbalanced? While I was horrified by Anthony's death and the way things ended, there was a part of me that was grateful I wouldn't have to testify. I could truly put it behind me.

I gave my mother and grandmother as much space as I could, not wanting to get sucked into the wedding planning. My mother took charge of organizing the reception, but she used Ranger's help on one occasion. It took the full power of the RangeMan search engines and two entire days. Finally a combination polka/salsa band was found and hired immediately without regard to cost.

Lula, Connie and I hosted a bridal shower for Grandma. I regifted my lingerie collection to her with the exception of the _La Perla_ bustier and garter belt. I'd wrapped that in silver foil paper and put a large black bow on the box. I gave the box to my dad with instructions to present it to Mom the evening after the wedding reception. They were empty nesters now and I thought the gift might jump start a new phase of their relationship.

Grandma and Osbaldo purchased a penthouse loft in downtown Trenton, much to Lester's relief. On a clear day they had a distant view of the railroad bridge where Grandma and I saved each other's lives. The space was huge and they wouldn't have to push back furniture to have room to practice their dancing.

Ranger and I met with the same interior designer who'd originally designed and decorated his apartment out of the empty top floor space. She presented us with a fabulous plan. The entire top floor would become our home with the addition of a family room, two new bedrooms and a formal dining room. Construction had started immediately, causing Ranger and I to be temporarily homeless. Lester and Osbaldo once again became roommates, this time in the penthouse loft, and Ranger and I moved into the empty apartment on four. Grandma stayed in the Burg with mom and dad. There would be no living together until after the nuptials.

Construction went according to schedule and we moved into our new place just days before the wedding. We were going to host our first party a week after Grandma's wedding to show our new abode to family and friends.

The wedding day dawned bright and sunny. The church was full and there was an air of anticipation. They'd chosen June to marry, partly because the PNA hall was available and mostly because of a poem Grandma had found.

_Married in month of roses June,  
Life will be one long honeymoon._

She and Osbaldo were living life as if each day was their last, because at their age…it might be.

There was a buzz of anticipation in the church. My grandmother's eccentricities were well known throughout the Burg and no one knew quite what to expect. The reality of the event was better than most had expected.

The bride wore a dress of antique-white moiré silk. The dress glided seamlessly over the _Carine Gilsen_ handmade thong. Blue-grey brillo pad curls had been tamed into silvery-white waves compliments of Mr. Alexander. Her feet were encased in a new pair of white PF flyers that had been bedazzled by Lula and were tied with Chantilly lace bows. Grandma's cheeks were rosy from the sheer excitement of the day and her lips were tinted a dark rose color she favored called 'Orgasm'. From the look on Osbaldo's face when she walked down the aisle he was going to do his best to make sure the lipstick lived up to its name.

The bridesmaids and matron of honor hadn't fared as well in the wardrobe department as the bride, although I did think I carried off the shoulder pads and puffy sleeves better than my mother or Valerie. The powder blue of the dresses was a good color for all of us. It matched the color of the sky that summer afternoon in Trenton.

As we walked into the reception to begin the fun part of the day, I was astonished with the transformation of the plain PNA hall. The ceiling was criss-crossed with strands of twinkling white fairy lights. Tables were covered with pristine linen cloths and each table had a beautiful floral bouquet as a center piece. Along the side wall and centered on a long table was the most beautiful wedding cake I'd ever seen. I knew each of the six layers was a different flavor of cake, but they were all covered with Mrs. Kapinski's homemade butter cream frosting. There was a fully stocked bar at the back of the hall which was already the center of the socializing. Ranger had written a very big check. I turned to my husband and said, "Good job with the decorations."

"Only the best for your grandma, Babe," Ranger said giving me a hint of a smile. He was resplendent in a tuxedo. His hair had grown and was pulled back into a ponytail. He looked edible and he was mine. His arm was around my waist, his hand splayed protectively across the small swell of my tummy rising over the edge of my lace and silk thong. Ranger had held true to his promise of providing me with all the decadent 'underwear' I could hope for.

He'd held true to another promise as well. I'd gotten pregnant on our honeymoon. We'd kept the news to ourselves mostly due to fear. We were both nervous about the outcome of this pregnancy, despite the doctor's assurance everything was fine. We'd already had two ultrasounds to confirm his prognosis.

The second ultrasound had been just two days before the wedding when our baby had made known his gender to us. Little baby legs which had been tightly closed suddenly spread wide for us to see future Merry Man credentials floating proudly in the amniotic fluid. The astute sonographer had captured the brief flash on film and the revealing picture was currently holding a place of honor on our dresser.

We were one week out of the first trimester and the danger of miscarriage was greatly diminished. We would tell family and friends soon, but we were keeping the news to ourselves for just a while longer. My anger at Ranger leaving me after the miscarriage was gone. I don't know when it left, but I was filled with the absolute knowledge he'd never leave again.

I looked across the hall to see Lula and Connie waving to us. We crossed the room to sit at a table with them and their dates. Lula and Tank seemed to be communicating very well these days and Connie was spending most of her free time with Bert Bronfman. We walked to the table and Ranger pulled out a chair for me before heading to the bar where Tank and Bunchy were standing.

"You and Ranger can sit with us," Lula said. "Tank and Bunchy are at the bar getting us drinks. This is some party. Tank and me have been practicing and we're gonna polka tonight."

My eyes widened at the thought.

"Yeah, this should be some party."

Ranger returned shortly with two bottles of sparkling water.

Lula raised her eyebrows and said, "Batman's takin' you over to the dark side. You drinking water at a wedding?"

"Yeah," I took a sip. "My body is a temple now, too." I smiled at my own double entendre and then afraid I'd given too broad a hint I continued, "I gave up alcohol after Mr. Poughkeepsie. I'm a married woman now, I can't be bringing home stray g-strings."

"Uh oh," Lula said, looking toward the door. I followed her gaze to see Angie Morelli and Joe's Grandma Bella walk through the door.

"It's okay," I said. "Joe and Terry are firmly ensconced in Cincinnati and his mom and grandma like me just fine, now that I'm not leading their boy down the road to sin and ruination. It's Terry they can't stand now.

"Have you heard from Joe?" Connie asked. Ranger's head turned slightly and I sensed he was interested in the answer. Ranger had told me he'd never interfere with a friendship between Joe and me, but I knew he was interested in my answer.

"Yeah," I said. "He called after the final autopsy report came back on Shirley Blanco. He wanted me to know she died of injuries she sustained in the fall instead of drowning. He and Terry were leaving the next day to start a new life. I wished him well and that's the last I've heard."

"Gonna seem kinda funny," Lula said, "the next time you blow up a car and all the Trenton P.D. shows up there won't be any Officer Hottie."

"I've been thinking about that," I said. "Vinnie is going to have to find a new BEA. I'm thinking seriously about opening my own lingerie store."

"What!" Connie and Lula exclaimed together.

"Yeah," I said. "When I worked at E.E. Martin I dreamed of dealing with luxurious sexy lingerie instead of white granny panties and cotton bras. I never dreamed of being a bounty hunter. This recent experience has gotten me thinking about all kinds of sexy underwear. Maybe even for men." I turned toward Ranger. "I think I know someone who might bankroll a business venture for me."

"Babe."

"Are you serious?" Connie asked.

"Damn skippy she is," Lula said. "I bet she's gonna call her shop 'Stephanie's Secret', and I'm gonna apply for a job. I could sell underwear outta my ass." I shook my head to clear the visual.

"Well," I said, "It's just a thought. Anthony Fenoglio's boss actually called me and offered me his job at Baldicott, but I think I'd rather be my own boss."

"Yeah, and you could be my boss too," Lula chimed in, still obviously campaigning for her own career change.

Our conversation ended when we noticed Grandma and Osbaldo standing in front of the cake table. Wedding cake took precedence over everything else. As soon as the newlyweds smashed cake in each other's faces they danced their first dance, and the party got interesting.

Grandma and Osbaldo were surprisingly entertaining as they polkaed across the dance floor. When Lula and Tank took the floor it was fair to say they cut a wide swath. Everyone backed away to give them the room they required and there were no casualties.

When the band switched from polka to salsa, Ranger and I made our way to the dance floor. He was an expert and I a novice, but as in other areas of our life we moved well together. I followed his lead and was lost in the movement and music. I thrilled as he whispered in my ear, "Time to sit down for a while, Babe, or we might have to leave early."

As the reception wound to a close Lula put herself front and center to catch Grandma's bouquet. In a previously arranged, but unpracticed exercise, Grandma wound up and fired her bouquet in a line drive directly toward Lula. Much to everyone's amazement the bouquet bounced off Lula's cleavage and fell into the hands of a surprised Connie. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tank's shoulders drop in relief as he exhaled. Bunchy broke out in a huge grin.

The bride and groom made their escape through a cloud of hand-tossed rice. They were leaving immediately for Florida where they were going to polka and salsa their way through the state.

I turned to my husband. "This party is winding down. I think we should leave before we're roped into staying to undecorate."

"Sounds good to me, Babe," Ranger said. "We need to talk, tonight."

I raised my eyebrows. "Talk?" About what I wondered, apparently out loud.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Lingerie. I'll bankroll your venture if you model your inventory for me."

I smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me." His lips met mine briefly and we hurried home to talk…

The End

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story. If I missed replying to any comment it was unintentional. As always I welcome all comments positive or negative.**


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